Georgia O'Keefe - Watercolor Reproduction

Georgia O'Keefe Biography
Painter (1887-1986)

SynopsisGeorgia O'Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. Photographer Alfred Stieglitz gave O'Keefe her first gallery show in 1916 and the couple married in 1924. O'Keeffe moved to New Mexico after her husband's death and was inspired by the landscape to create numerous well-known paintings. Georgia O'Keeffe died on March 6, 1986.

Early LifeArtist and painter Georgia O'Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Known for her striking flower paintings and other captivating works, O'Keeffe was one of the greatest American artists of the twentieth century. She took to making art at a young age and went to study at the Art Institute of Chicago in the early 1900s. Later, while living in New York, she studied with such artists as William Merritt Chase as a member of the Art Students League.

Famed ArtworkO'Keeffe found an advocate in famed photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz. He showed her work to the public for the first time in 1916 at his gallery 291. Married in 1924, the two formed a professional and personal partnership that lasted until his death in 1946. Some of her popular works from this early period include Black Iris (1926) and Oriental Poppies (1928). Living in New York, she translated some of her environment onto the canvas with such paintings as Shelton Hotel, N.Y. No. 1 (1926).

After frequently visiting New Mexico since the late 1920s, O'Keeffe moved there for good in 1946 after her husband’s death and explored the area's rugged landscapes in many works. This environment inspired such paintings as Black Cross, New Mexico (1929) and Cow's Skull with Calico Roses (1931).

Death and LegacyO'Keeffe died on March 6, 1986, in Santa Fe, Mexico. As popular as ever, her works can be seen at museums around the world as well as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Assignment - Watercolor Reproduction

Project Goal: Create a Georgia O'Keefe reproduction.

Directions:

1. Select a  painting by Georgia O'Keefe of your choosing (or another 20th century painter).
   
2. Print out image in black & white.  If you have a cell phone, take a photo of image for color reference.
3. Trace out or draw image free hand on a sheet of watercolor paper. Drawing should be light!
4. Accurately as possible reproduce colors as shown on original painting.
5. Consider blending, glazing and control of tonality.

Rubric:

1. Final drawing closely resembles original Georgia O'Keefe painting.
2. Media Literacy: Final Product demonstrates techniques unique to watercolor painting including: (1) glazing (2) color blending (3) tonality and saturation (4) preserving white spaces on the canvas
3. Color pallet closely resembles original painting.
4. Craft: Final rendering is clean, free of bends and rips.
   

Other 20th century artists to consider:

1. Henry Matisse (Fauvism)
   
2. Pablo Picasso (Cubism)
   
3. Wassily Kandisnsky (Abstract Art)
   
4. Juan Gris (Cubism)
   
5. Edward Hopper (American Modernist)
   
6. Kazimir Malevich
   
7. Andy Warhol (Pop Art)
   
8. Marcel Duchamp (Dadaism / Cubisim)
   
9. Salvador Dali (Surrealism)