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Maine Samplers Part II Georgia O'Keeffe by Robyn Montana Turner |
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Little Brown and Co. 1991. Summary: Prominent American artist, Georgia O'Keeffe, is famous for her images of gigantic flowers, city-scapes and distinctive desert scenes. This brief biography describes her life, inspiration, and works. It is beautifully illustrated with reproductions of some of her paintings. Themes: Activities: 1. Georgia O'Keeffe lived to be nearly one hundred years old. Make a timeline of her life. What world events were happening at important points in her life? What events (large or small) had an impact on her? Georgia believed that a good artist needed to have courage. (Georgia O'Keeffe: A Studio book. Viking) Examine the timeline and explain which of her actions were "courageous" and why. 2. "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say in any other way - things I had no words for." O'Keeffe.
3. An investigation of Georgia O'Keeffe wouldn't be complete without studying her techniques and trying your hand at painting O'Keeffe style. Be accurate on sizes and style. For specifics on media and techniques, refer to the articles by North Berwick (ME) art teacher, Bonnie D'Abate. (with fourth graders) and by Shirley Ende-Saxe (sixth graders). In Georgia O'Keeffe: A studio book, Georgia writes, "music could be translated into something for the eye." Ask your music teacher to select two or three different pieces of music. Make sketches while you listen to them. 4. In your reading journal, address the influence that Arthur Wesley Dow had on Georgia O'Keeffe. Choose three O'Keeffe paintings and analyze that influence. (What are the dates of these works? i.e. Would you select works painted when she was younger than 23?) 5. Bones are an important feature in O'Keeffe's paintings. In a small group, select five works that contain bones and identify the animal and name of each bone. Explain to the rest of the class Why do you think she choose this subject.? Do you find bones in her paintings of the East? Why or why not? What sorts of things do we find lying about in our Eastern ecosystem? 6. Read books about the desert (see resource list). As a class brainstorm a list of items which typify the Southwest. Set up a "jackdaw" table that represents O'Keeffe's life. Include a tape recorder and meaningful sounds. 7. WOMEN STUDIES. Make a list of famous female artists before O'Keeffe's time period. Give an oral report to the class about the reasons behind the shortness of the list. (This will probably touch upon crafts vs art. Yet Georgia did not deny the beauty found in traditional female "crafts." With your oral report include color sketches of quilts or fabrics that she notices. She mentions a red and white quilt that she lay upon before she was even one year old! Explain why you think seeing colors or patterns is important to artists. How and why did Georgia dress in her distinctive manner.) 8. (Major project) There is no bibliography in this book. Find and read the books suggest in the resource list. What books influenced Robyn Montana Turner. RESOURCES
A FEW BOOKS ON THE DESERT
Prepared by Debe Averill, Bangor H.S. and Gail Garthwait, Asa Adams School, Orono. |
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