Courses

Georgia O'Keeffe once elegantly stated that when she painted, she sought to "fill a space in a beautiful way." As one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century, she played a pivotal role in shaping the development of modern American art. Her unique approach to painting, characterized by bold abstraction and intense focus on natural forms, challenged traditional artistic norms and contributed to the emergence of American modernism. This inspiring course will offer students an opportunity to learn the principles that inspired the famous artist and use them to create their own unique and beautiful works of art.

The format of the course will combine illustrated lectures exploring O'Keeffe’s art and personal story with guided studio exercises inspired by the precepts that grounded the artist in her work. Students will focus on learning compositional elements of shape, color, line, and color theory and will gain an understanding of the step-by-step approach the artist used before setting brush to canvas. Along the way, the instructor will share lessons absorbed through the personal experience of working with O'Keeffe long ago. All class sessions will feature hands-on exercises for creating original art. Students will leave the course with several of their own works as well as an understanding of O'Keeffe's artistic philosophy and techniques, empowering them to continue their creative exploration long after the course concludes.