Artist, interior decorator and busy mom Stacy Dalton drops by once a week to share home decorating tips, art facts and more.
Georgia O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 -- March 6, 1986)
This week marks the birthday of one of my favorite American female artists: Georgia O'Keeffe. She needs almost no introduction -- nearly everybody knows and loves Georgia's bright, poetic flowers and southwestern landscapes.
Aside from the obvious brilliance of her work, Georgia was also a fiercely independent woman in her day. She loved to travel and see new places, and while she was married to photographer Alfred Stieglitz, she spent her summers in New Mexico, kicking around in a Model A Ford and exploring the terrain for artistic inspiration. After Stieglitz's death, she settled in Ghost Ranch, an area north of Abiquiu, where this great video footage was taken:
Much of Georgia O'Keeffe's greatest work came from her time in New Mexico. One of my favorites is this piece, entitled "From the Lake No. 1:"
I just love the colors in this image, and the way the shapes seem to swirl, almost like smoke. It's really quite visually complex, and yet there's a simplicity to it. Also, the piece is clearly an abstract, yet it feels very nature-inspired.
The colors are so lush in this piece. And there's a certain element of mystery to Georgia's flower paintings, wouldn't you say? To me, the start contrast between the white of the flower and the deep green of the leaves creates an otherworldly feeling, almost like sneaking a glimpse into your own secret garden.
In my eyes, Georgia's skull and bone imagery is just as beautiful as her flowers. Case in point, this striking painting:
See how she treats the bone as though it's an abstract form? It's ingenious! And I love the way the little shapes of blue sky peek through the stark, white bone. Words really don't do Georgia's work justice, as she herself once expressed: "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way.. things I had no words for."
Well said -- and painted. Happy birthday, Georgia!
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