Artist Study for Kids: Georgia O'Keeffe

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This year we spent a month studying the life and work of Georgia O’Keeffe because an exhibition of her work was due to arrive at our local art museum.

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As soon as I learned that an O’Keeffe exhibit was due to arrive this year, I turned to one of our favorite sources for art curriculum: The Masterpiece Society.

I decided to combine two art courses focused on Georgia O’Keeffe: the Art Appreciation course and the Mixing with the Masters Course.

Turns out, they were a perfect pairing for a timely study of Georgia O’Keeffe’s life and work.

Study the life and works of Georgia O'Keeffe with your kids.

I received this course in exchange for sharing our experience. I was happy to write it because we love these courses. The opinions are my own.

Artist Study: Georgia O’Keeffe

The Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation Courses include everything I need and more to teach Art Appreciation for any particular artist:

Biographical information (and fun, quirky facts) on each artist
Artist quotes for copywork, journaling or future art projects
Historical background of the art movement in which he or she created
Quality photos of each classic work of art we study
Descriptions of the mediums and techniques used by the artist
Art terms and definitions specifically related to the artist
Internet links to virtual museums, galleries and other helpful websites
Links to kid-friendly art enrichment videos
Thought-provoking questions to encourage critical thinking skills
Printable notebooking pages for narration, copywork or memorization
Printable art templates (which can also be used as coloring sheets for younger students)
Recommended books, movies and other resources for further study

The O’Keeffe guide was easy to follow and we worked through it chronologically, printing what we needed along the way.

Georgia O’Keeffe: Background Information

We started by reviewing background information from the Art Appreciation course about Georgia O’Keeffe and the artistic movement of American modernism. The guide includes a brief background of O’Keeffe as well as an overview of American Modernism.

Notebooking pages were included so my children could narrate what they learned. We didn’t use them this time. Instead, we simply enjoyed the discussion.

Copywork pages are also included in the guide and I typically don’t use them because copywork is part of our language arts program. This time I offered the O’Keeffe quotes as an alternative to our regular copywork. My kids were delighted! They each selected their favorites and her words were a nice addition to our regular copywork routine.

In addition to the information included in our art appreciation guide, I like to gather outside resources to read during the month. I keep picture books around for my kids to read on their own or to read out loud as a family.

Georgia O’Keeffe: Additional Books

Georgia O’Keeffe (Little People, BIG DREAMS) by Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Through Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez
My Name is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter by Jeanette Winter
Georgia O’Keeffe (Getting to know the World’s Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia

Georgia O’Keeffe: Artwork

The Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation Guide and the Mixing with the Masters course focus on three of O’Keeffe’s well-known pieces:

Red Poppy
Pink Tulip
Cow’s Skull: Red, White, and Blue

We studied one example each week, beginning with background and other information about the piece. Thankfully, everything I needed for our discussion was included in the art appreciation guide:

background information
ahigh-qualityy image to view
additional paintings for comparison
questions to guide your discussion of each piece
enrichment activities
a B/W outline coloring page

After studying information about the piece, we were ready to recreate it. The Mixing with the Masters course on O’Keeffe includes video lessons that guide you through imitating the same three pieces of art in the art appreciation guide. We started with the “Red Poppy” project.

Everyone was delighted with their Red Poppies! We completed the other two projects and then we were ready for our visit to the museum. It was time to see Georgia O’Keeffe’s work in person

It was a fantastic day at the museum. My children and I definitely appreciate the artwork more when we have spent time getting to know the artist and some of her artwork before our visit.

The Masterpiece Society courses that guided our study during the month can be purchases individually or in sets. The O’Keeffe guides are included in the Art Appreciation: Complete Set One and the Mixing With the Masters: Volume One.

Together, these two sets would provide 6 artist studies complete with background information, copywork, enrichment, video lessons, and more. Your family would be able to study the life and work of Picasso, Rembrandt, O’Keeffe, van Gogh, da Vinci, and Monet.

Artist Study for Kids: Georgia O’Keeffe