One of my favorite spring art projects, these beautiful flower collages are a great way to introduce artist Georgia O’Keeffe to kids!
I have found kids create best when we keep the subject matter simple and relatable.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why children connect so well to the work of artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Georgia O’Keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887. She decided from a young age that she wanted to be an artist and painted her way to success in New York. After her husband died, she moved to New Mexico for a fresh start. For the remainder of her life, she would travel through the desert, painting what she saw. She is most famous for her large paintings of flowers and bones.
This invitation to create is inspired by the beautiful flower paintings of Georgia. You will be amazed at what children will make with an artistic prompt as simple as a flower.
Here’s how we did it.
Supplies:
- Washable markers
- Paper in a variety of colors and textures
- Glue
- Scissors
- Pipe cleaners, pom-poms, etc. (optional, but recommended)
Directions:
- Use washable markers to decorate a sheet of paper with a pattern or design. This sheet of paper will act as the base of your collage.
- Use scissors to cut paper into several petal-like shapes. Creating a variety of shapes and sizes is recommended.
- After cutting out all the pieces, arrange them onto your base paper to form a flower. Experiment with their placement until you find an arrangement you love.
- Glue the pieces down, starting with the bottom layer and working towards the top.
Another favorite elementary art lesson of mine that is inspired by the work of Georgia O’Keeffe are these Apple-Print Flowers.
Looking for another spring art project? You may enjoy this blog post on creating a Collaborative Garden Drawing or this blog post on creating Paper Bouquets from recycled materials.
Happy creating!
