Georgia O'Keeffe

Have you ever thought about being famous? It's not as easy as you think. Georgia O'Keeffe, for example, went through a lot of challenges before she became a professional artist. She was very passionate about art. She had lots of illnesses, but she made it through. Read on to find out more about Georgia O'Keeffe. Georgia O'Keeffe made a lot of major achievements, most of which started with her love of art that began in her childhood.

CHILDHOOD AND BEYOND On November 15, 1887, Georgia O'Keeffe was born. She was born at a farmhouse in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Her father, Francis Calyxtus O'Keeffe, was Irish. Her mother, Ida (Totto) O'Keeffe, was Hungarian. Georgia was named after her mother's father, George Victor Totto. Georgia was the second oldest of seven children. She was the oldest girl. She decided at ten years of age to be an artist. She began painting zoomed in still lifes of things like flowers, skulls, and buildings. At age sixteen she got private lessons in art. One day, a friend of Georgia's showed some of her paintings to a man named Alfred Stieglitz, without permission from Georgia. Little did Georgia know that Alfred would later become her husband. But Alfred loved the paintings and would like to show them. At one point, from 1908 to 1912, Georgia stated that she couldn't distinguish herself as an artist. But then she decided to follow her dreams and tried again. This was probably hard for Georgia to do, but she just kept trying, even when she wanted to give up forever. Georgia's family moved around a lot, which didn't help anything. She was born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She went to school at Town Hall School in Sun Prairie. Then she moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 1901, where she went to Sacred Heart Academy for high school. In 1902, Georgia's family moved to Williamsburg, Virginia. Georgia stayed in Madison with her aunt until 1903, and then joined her family in Virginia. Then Georgia went to the School of Art Institute in Chicago. Georgia attended the Art Students League in 1907. Isn't that a lot of moving? All that moving was probably an obstacle in Georgia's life.

OBSTACLES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Some of the obstacles in Georgia O'Keeffe's life were that she moved a lot. She moved from Sun Prairie to Madison to Williamsburg to Chicago and then some more in her adult life. Another obstacle Georgia faced was illness. She got sick and had to move back home. This was most likely an obstacle to her because when she was just getting comfortable, she has to move again. Another thing that would possibly make Georgia mad was that a lot of times she didn't have time to paint. Painting made her happy so when she didn't have time, she probably was sad and maybe bored. Some things Georgia O'Keeffe achieved were getting her diploma in art from the Chicago Art Institute in 1905. Another was when she finally got to teach painting in Amarillo, Texas, from 1912 to 1914. She also became well known for her paintings of deserts and flowers. But most of these accomplishments came out of the obstacles Georgia faced. Because if she hadn't gotten ill, she wouldn't have moved. And if she hadn't moved, she wouldn't have gone to Chicago. And if she hadn't gone to Chicago, she wouldn't have gotten her diploma in art. And maybe, just maybe, if she hadn't gotten her diploma, she wouldn't have become an art teacher in Amarillo, or maybe even the famous artist that is still known today. All of these accomplishments happened because Georgia O'Keeffe had perseverance.

TRAITS THAT MADE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE A HERO One trait that Georgia O'Keeffe had was perseverance. She had perseverance because she had to take a long path to become a painter, but she fought through the struggles and the obstacles and became an art teacher. Georgia was dedicated, too. She was dedicated because she devoted herself to painting and didn't give up until she became the person she wanted to be. Also, Georgia was gallant. She was very spirited and put her whole heart into her paintings. She had a positive attitude. But, most importantly, she didn't give up. No matter how hard it was, she kept trying and trying and trying. And eventually she became an amazing and interesting artist.

PERSONAL CONNECTION I chose this amazing and wonderful artist because I also have an interest in art. I really like Georgia's paintings and I think she is an interesting person to learn about. She is a hero to me because I like art and she is a member of art history. In some ways we are alike because, like I said before, we both enjoy art and painting. She is a better artist than me, but we still both have fun with art. We both have siblings, she had a lot more than I do, but we still both have siblings. We both enjoy calm and peaceful activities, sometimes. These are some of the things that sparked my interest to learn about Georgia O'Keeffe and her life. I hope you enjoyed this biography.