Thursday, April 3, 2014

Channeling Georgia O’Keeffe


The first month of our art journal swap!

Going in our usual order, I have Gemma's book first. 
We've each selected artists for our books and Gemma's artist is Georgia O'Keeffe.
Panic!! I was (am!) very intimidated by Georgia O'Keeffe. Her style is so precise.
And perfect. Perfectly precise and gorgeous.
The exact opposite of my style, whatever that is :-)

The O'Keeffe paintings I'm most familiar with are all
landscapes, flowers, or abstracts.
So I did one of each in Gemma's book...

There is a place in New Mexico called Shiprock.
I don't know that Georgia O'Keeffe ever painted Shiprock (maybe too touristy for her),
at least I gather it's a bit of a tourist attraction...I've never been there.
Sadly I've only driven through New Mexico, and never got to stop.

 The foreground drove me nuts, and I wondered how in the world I would be able
to fill the rest of the page before March was out! That's when I got the brilliant idea
to create the rock out of tissue paper and paint. The process sped up considerably!

And I found in my stash some incredible green paper with gold fibers in it.
LOVE the way it tore to look like dry desert plants!
I received something wrapped in it and saved it for the perfect use.
I think it may have been Kat who sent it?
 
Georgia's quote, which proves how different she must have been to me:

“You know I never feel at home in the east like I do out here ~ 
and finally feeling in the right place again ~ I feel like myself and I like it.”

The desert has never welcomed me...I feel uneasy in the desert
and miss the lush greens of the east.

But once I started putting these pages together,
I could see that there is much beauty in the desert. I know Gemma loves it,
and posts the most awesomely beautiful photos of the landscape!

So on to the next page...
I have posted this before when it was a WIP.
Hasn't changed too much except for the quote
and a bit more done on the green parts.


And last...but should have been first lol ...
my portion of the front cover of Gemma's book.

We have 8 artists total, and the first 4 will collaborate on the front cover
and the last 4 will work on the back cover. My portion of the front
is in the lower right corner. I rather copied one of Georgia's abstracts.
I originally thought to use the design and maybe change the colors.


Then I realized that the colors she chose
and the placement of them were perfection.
What a genius she was!
Changing colors would have thrown the whole thing off in my eyes.
So I used her colors for the most part.

Georgia O'Keeffe's painting.

Mine is flat and hers has so much more depth
and shading. Maybe someone will add a bit more
to make mine look better...?

So, I'm looking forward to receiving the next journal,
which is Stephanie's. Her artist is Chagall.
More challenges! I feel more comfortable with Chagall.
But I may be surprised just like I was with O'Keeffe...

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12 comments:

  1. Oh, oh, OH!!! These are so incredible and there are so many things I love about each painting! Your desert "plant" are pure genius- I love how you placed them such a perfect balance for the foreground and the mountain; both of which are also beautifully done. LOVE IT! And then I saw the finished poppy- I am in love with this piece- the quote you used and the font are so perfect with it- just gorgeous! And then your abstract for the cover- what a perfect choice for the colors Gemma started with; i love it too!
    Can't wait to see this in real life- and lucky me, I'll get to see everyone else's entries, because it comes to me last!
    xxoo
    Stephanie
    P.S. I have more than a 100 poppy seedlings growing on my porch- how amazing would it be to have a touch of Georgia O'Keeffe in my own garden?

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    1. Thank you Steph! This swap is going to be so much fun! I'm actually enjoying being pushed out of my comfort zone :-) 100 poppy seedlings? WOW, I can only imagine how gorgeous a big field of poppies would be. I keep thinking of the Wizard of Oz lol!

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  2. I am stunned at the fabulousness you have created. Everything is beyond awesome. Thank you so much. LOVE it. I hope everyone who works in this book gets to experience desert zen as you have and Georgia did...WOW!

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    1. Desert Zen ~ I love it!! I'm so glad you love the pages, Gemma!

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  3. Hi Maggie:)
    I still cannot get over the poppy! And now I have noticed you added dewdrops!
    I have tried to paint water before, even watched a tutorial and still had no luck...I am really excited to see this book and I am already nervous :)
    The landscape too...I am certainly going to be waaay out of my *safe* place...
    but, then, that is the point, isn't it?
    You used that flower quote of hers that I love
    and your lettering is just perfect!
    Your art is so very beautiful...
    LIKE YOU!
    ♥ ♥ ♥

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    1. Thank you, Priti ♥
      For the water drops ~ I found tutorials on YouTube (after failing miserably to paint one) that made it ridiculously easy. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgo_M0_Zwjk
      Voila! a dewdrop! You won't believe how easy it is.

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  4. Flippin eck Maggie - you're a genius. Wowzers - those tissue flowers in the landscape, and THAT POPPY - seriously you are secretly Georgia O'Keefe!! I'm blown away!

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    1. Lisa, you're so funny! Thank you ♥
      Who's idea was it to pick artists for the swap this time? I'm thinking it may have been you and Priti Lisa? Brilliant idea...I think we will all be better for it once we are finished! I can't wait for the next book (Steph's :-)

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  5. When I saw the desert landscape in thumbnail I thought it was Georgia O'Keefe's. You amaze me! I love the poppy! It's so vivid-gorgeous beyond words! You must be channeling Ms. O'Keefe somehow. I know she would approve of your images!

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    1. Thank you Lou Anne!! ♥
      Haha, everyone will think I'm crazy, but at one point I was struggling so much, I looked up at the ceiling and said, 'Georgia! Gimme a hand here if you can hear me. I have no idea what I'm doing.' No lie. I don't know if she heard me or not, but things went better after that. Maybe just my own suggestion to myself, or...? Who knows.

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  6. Wow Maggie I love these pages - the desert colours are beautiful and the textures and depth the collaged parts create are wonderful. And yes, I think that paper was from me; fab to see it put to such good use :-)! The sumptous, rich flower makes me to shrink to Thumbellina size and lay in its petals. And your interpretation of the swirly painting fits perfectly with the desert pages. All in all, I would lay a massive bet on the fact that Gemma will adore what you've created for her.
    I've been nervous about this swap theme but am now so appreciating how it is encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone; a very enjoyable learning experience.
    Hugs
    Kat xx

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  7. Maggie your pages are amazing! Your use of tissue paper in your desert painting is inspired (I do love a bit of mixed media!) and I love the way the words follow the landscape. As for that poppy - it's STUNNING! Georgia herself would have been proud of it! xx

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