Natural Form

Natural Form
The natural form of an object which has not been altered or manipulated, but is in its' original form found in nature. Through Art, natural form can be depicted as a representation of the original object.

Georgia O'Keeffe

"O’Keeffe bought a house on a lake where they lived in the summer time. O’Keeffe loved it there. She used an old barn as her studio and she painted many paintings that were inspired by her natural surroundings. It was at the lake house that O’Keeffe began creating the paintings she is most known for. She painted close-ups of flowers in bright, bold colors. No one had ever painted close-ups of flowers before, but some photographers of the time were taking close-up photos of flowers.

From this point on, O’Keefe always painted subjects using strong colors. She simplified her subjects so that nothing remained except the most important parts"...

"In the 1930s, O’Keeffe took some trips to New Mexico. She loved it so much that she eventually moved there. She painted lots of paintings of the mountains, the desert, and the adobe houses. She especially loved to paint pictures of animal skulls. Sometimes she even painted desert landscapes and skulls on the same canvases.....

....She continued to paint until she lost her eyesight. She died in 1986".

Information From: http://artsmarts4kids.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/georgia-okeeffe.html Go to this link for more information on Georgia O'Keeffe

Other Natural Form Artists

Elizabeth Blackadder

William Morris

Michael Landy

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Creating Natural Form Through Organic Images and Collage
Year 12

Begin with one image. (Preferably one with the most detail).

Collage your second image with your first image, drawing attention to specific stems, seeds or other elements.

With your third image, blend in your colours with the other images to add an Abstracted element to the painting.

Choose specific details of your choice from your last image to focus on, leaving the other components of the photos to blend into the background of your composition.

Sample work using Photoshop overlaying to display how your collage of images will look within your composition. Remember when you are painting in acrylics you are layering your work over and over to create those elements and details to your work.

1. Find images of Natural or Organic objects or things found in nature. (Instead of looking at them distinctly as they appear, take a closer look into the insides of them)
2. Focus on the inside of your natural form objects and find images of the insides of fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, leaves, etc... found in nature.
3. Choose a minimum of three natural form images (displaying the inside layers), and position them into a collage on one of your blank sheets of canvas.
4. Begin drawing your collage images together into a composition in your sketchbook or on canvas.
5. Use the above artists as inspiration to form your style and technique for this work.
6. Begin painting using Acrylic paints to create various layers of your work. Keep re-working the paint to produce different details, styles and movements.
7. When nearly finished, go outside into nature and pick up some of your natural forms to glue into your work.
8. Using paint to blend your found natural forms into your work, adding additional layers into your composition.
9. Complete your work, and enjoy your own Natural Forms Art Work!