“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
This week’s last Holiday Session was inspired by the Poinsettia flower also know as the Christmas Star painted in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe. Georgia O’Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887 in Wisconsin. She was the second of seven children and grew up on a farm in town called Sun Prairie. She longed to become an artist from an early age. Georgia O’Keeffe studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1916, photographer Alfred Stieglitz saw some O’Keeffe’s charcoal sketches and was very impressed. He showed her work for the first time at his gallery 291. He would continually promote her work throughout his lifetime. Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe were married in 1924 and their professional and personal partnership lasted until his death in 1946.
O’Keeffe is well known for her large, stylized paintings of flowers, cityscapes and the landscapes of New Mexico. She became most famous for her large, up-close paintings of flowers. She said that everyone loves flowers but few take the time to really see them. She began her career in New York City but moved to New Mexico after her husband’s death for the wide open spaces and inspirational rugged landscape. Although she died in 1986 at the age of 98, her popularity continues to grow.
Students did a fantastic job creating their own poinsettia flowers – Take a look at a few of the examples….
Happy Holidays everyone! Art in Action is looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2019 for the start of our brand new Winter session…