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Featured Artist: Georgia O’Keeffe
(1887-1986)
Stop and smell the roses is an
expression we’re all familiar with, yet
seldom do we take time to smell, to
touch, to see – to really see --
the unique shape and color of a single
rose. Georgia O’Keeffe, celebrated for
her vivid depictions of flowers, was
determined to help us see the
magnificence of this bloom, and hundreds
of others. “Nobody sees a flower,
really,” she said. “It is so
small, we haven’t time, and to see takes
time…I have painted what each flower is
to me and I have painted it big enough
so that others would see what I see.”
What Ms. O’Keeffe learned, however, was
that no matter how large she painted her
flowers, others only saw what they
wanted to see.
O’Keeffe became frustrated with the
assumptions people made regarding her
images – particularly the belief that
her flowers represented the female body.
“…when you took time to really notice
my flower you hung all your own
associations with flowers on my flower
and you write about my flower as if I
think and see what you think and see of
the flower – and I don’t.” What
O’Keeffe saw in her flowers was the
“bigness” of nature, and its relative
importance over humankind. This bigness
transformed her art in December 1915,
when she laid aside her paint, brushes,
and advanced techniques, and began
filling paper on the floor with swaths
of charcoal, pieces she would later
title Specials.
From that moment on, still life was
forever transformed. O’Keeffe gave
viewers a new way to see, and a
different way to look at the world. A
bigger way! O’Keeffe gifted us with a
unique perspective of a flower. She
expanded our viewpoint when she required
us to view the details – the petals, the
stamin, the pistil – without getting
lost in them. She freed us from
tradition, infusing eastern influences
into western art. The bold and brilliant
colors of her palette evoked deep felt
emotion. Shapes unfurled in motion, a
motion that quickly caught our attention
and shouted, “here I am!”
She made us look. But she couldn’t
make us see, no matter how big the image
on canvas – no matter how large the
thought. Seeing, as she said,
takes time. It took O’Keeffe
fourteen years to see a flower
differently from the first
jack-in-the-pulpit she ever drew.
External influences, including teachers,
training, experience, and most
importantly, time, led her to change her
point of view.
A change of view can never be
imposed. We can’t make someone see it
our way. Each person is gifted with a
unique perspective. But what we can do
is make time to educate others, to
communicate our beliefs and stories, and
expand the magnitude of our message –
just as many people are doing today by
displaying acts of peace as alternates
to war. That’s the beauty of blooming in
a America. We are a diverse people -- a
wondrous bouquet of beautiful flowers –
free to express our unique points of
view.
But instead of just expressing our
points of view, why not take time to see
a rose of a different color, to
really see the magnificent bloom of
another. Make time to see what it is
that someone else sees. Listen. Ask
questions. View the details with an
understanding eye. Don’t color their
viewpoint with your perspective. Don’t
judge it as right or wrong. It just
might change the picture of our future –
and in time, display a magnificent, new
world view.
Georgia O’Keeffe
conducted nightly vigils of stargazing,
violin playing, and spontaneous drawing
to inspire her artistry. This ritual led
to what art historian, Elizabeth Hutton
Turner calls, “an aesthetic awakening,
an artistic rebirth of sorts.”
Spontaneous paint blots requires
absolutely no talent, just the courage
to let go. The benefits include
relaxation, self-reflection, and
expanded creativity. Most of us have
mastered the art of spontaneous drawing
while sitting in meetings doodling. Why
not expand your horizons and make a
“bigger” impact, just like Georgia
O’Keeffe did.
Some of you may be familiar with the
Rorschach test, a psychological
assessment used to evaluate personality.
We’re not going there – but what we will
do, is make “blots” using paint on paper
to create spontaneous designs. You may
want to begin by asking a question you
would like to have answered. This will
help your mind create an answer or
message through your art image.
You’ll need the following materials:
- Sheet of 18 x 24 inch white
paper
- Watercolor (tray or tubes;
if you use tubes, place a small
amount of each color on a plastic
palette or plate)
- Brush
- Jar of water
- Chalk and/or oil pastels
Just follow these simple directions
to create a masterpiece of your own:
- Place paper on a flat,
horizontal surface.
- Using a large watercolor brush,
dip it in water and then into one or
more of the colors.
- Now spontaneously throw paint
onto the paper, swirling it quickly
on the page. Use whatever colors
speak to you, without thinking too
much about your work.
- Fold your paper in half,
“blotting” it, then allow it to dry.
- Look at your paper,
turning it sideways and upside down
until some image, shape, or form
captures your eye.
- Using chalk or pastels, develop
that image, adding whatever you like
to complete it.
- When you feel your image is
complete, give it a title.
Once complete, hang your image on the
wall in a place where you can see it
everyday. After a few days, you’ll most
likely get a sense of what this picture
has to say. Look, listen, and learn!
For a listing of books on
Georgia O’Keeffe and images of her work
online, visit
www.artchive.com/ftp_site.htm.
Explore The Georgia O’Keeffe
Online Gallery at
www.happyshadows.com/okeeffe
and visit
www.artcyclopedia.com to find
the galleries around the world where
O’Keeffe’s masterpieces are displayed.
The most comprehensive collections of
Georgia O’Keeffe’s works in the U.S. can
be found at the National Gallery of Art
in Washington D.C.
www.nga.gov and the Georgia
O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico
www.okeeffemuseum.org .
Visit
www.amazon.com to review the highly
acclaimed biography, O’Keeffe: A
Life, by Roxana Robinsin, or to
discover fabulous art books, including a
big book of 1200 pages, Georgia
O’Keeffe: Catalogue Raisonne by
Barbara Buhler, and an intimate little
book, Georgia O’Keeffe: One
Hundred Flowers, edited by
Nicholas Callaway.
From Victim to Victorious, A
Journey of Faith, Flight & Freedom
~ Anna Bixby Women’s Center, Harrisburg,
IL, Jun 3. Phyllis will present a
workshop for advocates working to end
domestic violence, sexual assault, and
homelessness. Focus will be placed on
breaking free from self-defeating
beliefs and behaviors that limit
personal power and responsibility.
Contact Phyllis for more information.
Renew your Spirit, Awaken Your
Soul ~ A Women’s Spring Retreat, April
4-6 at Serenbe. Nourish your
body, mind, and soul at a beautiful
turn-of-the-century bed & breakfast
nestled within a 350-acre farm in
Palmetto, GA, 32 miles SW of Hartsfield
Airport. The wonders of nature, art,
poetry, music, and movement, along with
heartfelt conversations, assist you in
grieving endings and birthing new
beginnings.
Price for the two-night stay, which
includes all meals, ranges from $389 to
$689. If you desire more information on
Serenbe and this event, please visit
their website at
http://www.serenbe.com and/or
contact Phyllis Carrera at 404-352-0340
or
pcarrera@humanarts.biz to
request a brochure.
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A
journey of faith,
flight, & freedom.
by Phyllis Carrera
Read an excerpt from my manuscript
Seeds of Fear.
"When I spoke of flowers, I was
a flower, with all the prerogatives of
flowers, especially the right to come
alive in the spring."
William Carlos Williams
"If
you take a flower in your hand and
really look at it, it’s your world for
the moment."
Georgia O’Keeffe
"Oh give us pleasure in the
flowers today; And give us not to think
so far away."
Robert Frost
“I see her in the dewy flowers, I see
her sweet and fair.”
Robert Burns
"We
must remain as close to the flowers, the
grass, and the butterflies as the child
is who is not yet much taller than they
are.”
Friedrich Nietzche
"One
of the most attractive things about the
flower is their beautiful reserve.”
Henry David Thoreau
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