“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

Georgia O’Keeffe was born in November, making this her birthday month and the perfect opportunity to celebrate her work! Since most of her subjects were flowers, O’Keeffe’s paintings make great inspiration for kids’ art projects, so let’s check out 10 of the best Georgia O’Keeffe projects for kids!

10 Georgia O’Keeffe Projects for Kids

Most of us love looking at flowers – at pictures, sculptures and of course, in real life! We look at a bunch of flowers or a flower garden, admire it and carry that image with us. But not Georgia O’Keeffe, the celebrated American artist; for her, the flowers were so much more.

As can be expected from O’Keeffe’s love for flowers, most of her work was based on these little beauties. But her paintings weren’t just a bunch of lilies; she painted enlarged versions of a single flower, like what you would see if you were to look through a magnifying glass. Needless to say, this fascination resulted in some stunning paintings! She is also the Highest-Selling Woman In Art Auction History

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O’Keeffe also painted parts of American scenery, which included buildings and mountains which she saw in the many places she visited.

1. O’Keeffe Flower Bowls

Georgia O’Keeffe’s favorite subject was flowers. So, it’s only fitting that we begin this list with a lovely flower bowl inspired by O’Keeffe’s flower paintings! The tutorial from The Crayon Lab shows you exactly how to do it, although this is something better attempted by older kids. But the result is completely worth the effort! If you want to explore this project with younger kids, this construction paper giant paper flowers idea by the painted paper in the art room blog is a good fit.

2. Georgia o Keefe inspired art New Mexico Mountain Landscapes

Along with flowers, Georgia O’Keeffe loved mountains too, particularly the Cerro Pedernal in New Mexico. So much so that she believed that God would give her the mountain if she painted it enough! This art project from Painted Paper in the Art Room gives detailed steps on the colors to use to recreate your own Pedernal landscape.

3. Georgia O’Keeffe Coloring Pages

O’Keeffe’s paintings used several colors, all of which aren’t immediately visible. To help kids get an idea of the various colors that come together, try out these Georgia O’Keeffe’s coloring pages. They’re quite detailed and should keep kids (and adults) busy for a while!

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4. Georgia’s Garden Craft

If the landscape painting seems too daunting for the little ones these flower collages from Laugh Paint Create should be perfect! Go the O’Keeffe route and make large flowers, and include lots of details Also makes for a great science lesson about the parts of a flower!

5. George o Keeffe Ladder to the Moon

O’Keeffe had a ladder outside her home, which she used to climb up to look up at the sky or at the vast desert before her. This inspired her to paint the Ladder to the Moon painting, including her beloved Pedernal in the picture. Painted Paper in the Art Room shows how you can recreate this painting with a mix of watercolor and collage – easy but impressive!

6. Georgia Rises: A Day in the Life of Georgia O’Keeffe

Based on letters written by Georgia O’Keeffe, this book imagines a day in the life of the artist when she lived in New Mexico. It begins with the time she rises in the morning and progresses along the day as she notices all the details and all the colors around her. It’s a lovely book that’ll prompt kids to look at the smaller things we usually ignore. Beauty is after all, in the details!

7. O’Keeffe’s Flowers Lesson Plan

Want to learn how to draw an O’Keeffe style flower from scratch? Well, this Georgia o Keeffe lesson plan from The Art of Education is for you! You can download the lesson plan that gives you detailed instructions on drawing a large-size flower. It begins with understanding color and tone, moving on to drawing outlines and finally painting in.

8. Through Georgia’s Eyes

This book takes kids to the person behind the artist, detailing her life from her childhood to the time she became famous. But that’s not all, the book has some beautiful illustrations of georgia o keeffe poppies
42 and is perfect for kids to look and think about the artist, as they realize that true talent can never be hidden.

9. Georgia’s Flowers Tissue Paper Collage

Georgia O’Keeffe had a remarkable way of using color, and it was the different shades more than shapes that gave definition to many of her paintings. This effect can be beautifully replicated with a simple tissue paper collage using liquid starch. There’re several ways to combine color to create depth and is a great exercise for kids of all ages!

10. Georgia o Keeffe Skull Clay Models

Besides mountain landscapes and flowers, many of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings featured bones, mainly skulls of animals. Most of these paintings were towards the latter half of her life after she moved to New Mexico and saw several such skulls scattered across the desert sands. Yet these paintings still feature her heart’s favorite flowers. This interesting skull clay model from Painted Paper in the Art Room is a lovely way to represent those skull paintings, complete with flowers added on.

Interesting Facts about Georgia O’Keeffe

She was named after her grandfather George Totto.
Her painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for over $44 million in 2014.
She rarely signed her paintings, but sometimes wrote on the back.
She liked to draw humorous caricatures of her teachers while she was in school.
In 1977, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald Ford.
Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/biography/artists/georgiaokeeffe.php

Georgia O’Keeffe Quotes

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.

I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.

Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.

Famous Georgia O’Keeffe Artwork –

Sky Above Clouds IV

1965

Jimson Weed

1936

Music Pink and Blue

1918

Blue and Green Music

1921

Black Iris

1926

When doing these projects, don’t forget to tell your kids about the life of O’Keeffe, and her inspiration for her paintings. Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings have several details hidden in them and are a lovely reminder to focus on the small things amidst our busy lives. The deeper you look, the more you’ll find – this is true of flowers and happiness too!!

FREE DOWNLOAD

Looking for a resource to explore Art Appreciation with kids? Click image to download our Printable ‘Famous Artists’ Mini Cards & Art appreciation Worksheet for free.