The natural world is a giant, open-ended learning laboratory. Our children are innate scientists and love experiencing the sights, scents, sounds, and textures of the outdoors. Nature provides countless opportunities for discovery.
“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.” Georgia O’Keeffe
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“Everywhere she looks, shapes hum and sing to her…. Paint speaks for her. Watercolor and oil are her words.”
THROUGH GEORGIA’S EYES
Rachel Rodriguez – Author
Julie Paschkis – Illustrator
“Georgia expresses feelings in her own way. Words work. But for her, the color blue says it better. Or red. Or a seashell.”
Through Georgia’s Eyes is a portrait of an exceptional artist, a woman whose eyes were open to the wideness and wonder of the world. At the turn of the 20th century, it was very rare, almost unheard of, for a woman to become an artist. She saw the world filled with color, brightness, light and astonishing shapes. Whether she lived in the city or on her beloved Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, “Every where she looks, shapes hum and sing to her.” Art was her means of communication, more intense than the spoken or written word.
This beautiful book explores her life through her time in art school, learning to express herself through her art and her love of vast open spaces that inspired her and led her to the desert. Through Georgia’s Eyes is a portrait of an exceptional artist, a woman whose eyes were open to the wideness and wonder of the world.
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ORIENTAL POPPIES, 1928
“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small …” Georgia O’Keeffe
• What do you see?
• How are the lines in the center of the painting different from the petals at the edges?
• What do you think enlarging the flowers enabled Georgia O’Keeffe to observe?
O’Keeffe’s painting enlarges the flower far beyond life-size. Looking deep within the center of the flower, we are able to see details that we otherwise wouldn’t notice. With her keen power of observation, Georgia O’Keeffe recorded the smallest of details to make sure that her audience would not overlook them.
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Painting Georgia’s Poppies
Materials
12 x 12 construction paper
Tempera paints-
Orange, Yellow and Reds
Large brushes
Painted paper and tissue paper.
Step One
Make a dot in the center and pull the paint out to the edge of the paper. Let it dry.
Step Two
Cut out the shape of the flower leaving a little border along the edge of the construction paper.
Step Three
Make the center of the poppy with painted paper.
Use a lid from a container for the larger circle and draw a smaller circle inside. Then cut out the larger circle and cut a fringe to the inner circle to create a ruffled texture.
Step Four
Add tissue to the center of the poppy, so it looks 3-dimensional.
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Georgia O’Keeffe a Life in Art from Georgia O’Keeffe Museum on Vimeo.