Young Artist Influenced by Georgia O’Keeffe

This young artist influenced by Georgia O’Keeffe is just 11 years old. My daughter has enjoyed art since she was about two years old, always creating something on paper. She often expressed her feelings through her art, something memorable for the family scrapbook.  When she was five years old, her kindergarten teacher submitted her art for a local contest and she won a first place ribbon.

Her art was initially influenced by Disney princesses, as she drew colorful mermaids and pretty dresses. Then she drew Barbie girls with detailed fashions, right down to the jewelry and shoes.  We enrolled her in a few summer art lessons by a Nickelodeon artist from our community, and soon she was creating cartoon characters, followed by Manga art (Japanese cartoons).

As a jewelry designer, I was hopeful she would take an interest in the fashion industry. We watched every episode of Project Runway and sent her to sewing lessons for a summer activity. While she enjoys sewing, we’ve yet to encourage it at home because my own sewing skills are outdated and weak. She is a fashion addict, never having enough clothes, or tearing up her clothes and recreating them into something new. It frustrates me to see her intentionally rip a new shirt or dress, so I look away!

During this time, she was also attending weekly art lessons instructed by artist Angela Johal President of the Livermore Art Association and member of the  Pleasanton Art League. After several years of instruction under the guidance of this talented artist, my daughter started to develop her own style and creative passion.

With the upcoming Talent Fair at her Christian school, she decided to study Georgia O’Keeffe and create art inspired by this famous artist. Her painting below is a completion of her work, though she is still researching the artist and writing her term paper based on the life of Georgia O’Keeffe. I’m not a good photographer-so the painting you see here does not reflect the interesting use of color and depth.

We’re gifting our daughter an easel, canvas and paints for Christmas this year, creating a special room in the house for her inspiration and encouraging her to express herself through her art.

Note: For safety, I do not include the names of my children in blog posts.