Famous Artists: Georgia O'KeeffeActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for this topic because students need to experience O'Keeffe's transformation of nature firsthand. Moving from observation to creation helps them see how artists like O'Keeffe use scale to shift perspectives and emotions. These hands-on activities make abstract concepts tangible through direct engagement with her techniques.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze how Georgia O'Keeffe used close-up views to transform natural objects into abstract forms.
- 2Explain how O'Keeffe's manipulation of scale alters the viewer's perception of familiar subjects.
- 3Design a drawing of a natural object, focusing on enlarged shapes and smooth contours inspired by O'Keeffe's style.
- 4Compare O'Keeffe's artistic choices, such as color and line, to evoke specific emotions in her artwork.
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Gallery Walk: O'Keeffe Prints
Display 6-8 reproductions of O'Keeffe's works around the room. Students walk in pairs, noting one close-up detail, colour choice, and feeling per piece on sticky notes. Regroup to share and create a class word cloud of observations.
Prepare & details
Analyze how Georgia O'Keeffe transformed natural objects into abstract art.
Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, circulate with a clipboard to note students' initial reactions to O'Keeffe's prints before they begin writing responses.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Close-Up Nature Hunt
Students collect small natural items like leaves or stones outdoors. Back in class, they draw one item massively enlarged on large paper, focusing on shapes and textures like O'Keeffe. Pairs compare drawings to discuss scale effects.
Prepare & details
Explain how O'Keeffe's use of scale changes the viewer's perception of her subjects.
Facilitation Tip: For the Close-Up Nature Hunt, provide clipboards and magnifying glasses to encourage detailed observation of small natural items.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Scale Shift Challenge
Provide the same flower photo to small groups. One draws it small, another huge. Groups present both, explaining how size changes the mood and focus. Vote on which feels more like O'Keeffe's power.
Prepare & details
Design a close-up drawing of a natural object, inspired by O'Keeffe's style.
Facilitation Tip: In the Scale Shift Challenge, model how to measure and enlarge a section of a drawing by using grid lines on their sketch paper.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Critique Circle: Student Works
Students arrange their close-up drawings in a circle. Each shares their natural object and intent; peers ask one question about scale or abstraction. Teacher facilitates connections to O'Keeffe.
Prepare & details
Analyze how Georgia O'Keeffe transformed natural objects into abstract art.
Facilitation Tip: During the Critique Circle, assign specific roles for students to keep discussions focused and equitable.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Teaching This Topic
Teachers should start with direct observation before introducing abstraction, as O'Keeffe worked from real life. Avoid rushing to definitions of abstraction; instead, let students discover the concept through their own close-up drawings. Research shows that repeated practice with scale changes helps students internalize how artists manipulate perception. Emphasize process over product by highlighting the thinking behind each step in their work.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students recognizing how O'Keeffe's close-up views change their perception of ordinary objects. They should confidently discuss scale, abstraction, and emotional impact in her work. Artifacts from activities should show clear attempts to replicate her methods through exaggeration and simplification.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Gallery Walk: O'Keeffe's paintings are just photographs zoomed in.
What to Teach Instead
During the Gallery Walk, have students sketch a small section of one print on the same page as their written response. Ask them to note how O'Keeffe simplifies shapes and exaggerates colors beyond what a photograph would show.
Common MisconceptionDuring Close-Up Nature Hunt: Abstract art has no connection to real objects.
What to Teach Instead
During the Close-Up Nature Hunt, ask students to place their found object next to their enlarged sketch. Have them trace the edges of both with colored pencils to show how the real object informed the abstracted version.
Common MisconceptionDuring Scale Shift Challenge: Bigger art always looks realistic.
What to Teach Instead
During the Scale Shift Challenge, have students compare their original small sketch to their enlarged version. Ask them to circle areas where they intentionally distorted the object to create abstraction, then discuss how this changes the viewer's experience.
Assessment Ideas
After Gallery Walk, provide each student with an O'Keeffe flower print. Ask them to write two sentences explaining how her use of scale changes their view of the flower and one word describing the mood of the artwork.
After Critique Circle, display two O'Keeffe paintings side-by-side. Ask students to discuss how scale affects their understanding of the subject in each painting and which one evokes stronger emotion, using evidence from their own sketches to support their ideas.
During Close-Up Nature Hunt, observe students as they sketch their chosen object. Ask individual students to point out where they exaggerated or simplified details to create a more abstract view, noting how this changes the object's impact.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students to create a triptych of one object at three different scales, using O'Keeffe's techniques to show emotional shifts.
- Scaffolding: Provide pre-drawn grids for students struggling with enlargement, or pair them with a peer for the Scale Shift Challenge.
- Deeper exploration: Have students research another artist who uses close-up views, compare their techniques to O'Keeffe's, and present findings to the class.
Key Vocabulary
| Close-up composition | An artistic technique where the subject is viewed very near, filling most or all of the picture space. |
| Scale | The size of an object or part of an object in relation to its surroundings or the overall artwork. |
| Abstract art | Art that does not attempt to represent external reality accurately, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures. |
| Contour | The outline or edge of a shape or form. |
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