Our last Family Day focused on the color blue in works of art in our collection. Blue is one of our favorite colors, and our love for sharing art with everyone is true blue.
Humans have used blue pigment in art for over 6,000 years. Some blues have special names, like Egyptian Blue, French Ultramarine and Prussian Blue.
In countries around the world, blue is the most popular color. What is your favorite color?
Georgia O’Keeffe (American, 1887 – 1986), “Red Barn, Lake George, New York,” 1921. Oil on canvas. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; Eva Underhill Holbrook Memorial Collection of American Art, Gift of Alfred H. Holbrook. GMOA 1945.70
This painting is by Georgia O’Keeffe. This red barn was at Lake George, New York. She stayed there every summer and fall with her husband. O’Keeffe liked to look carefully at the things around her and capture what she saw.
Charles Sheeler (American, 1883 – 1965), “Bucks County Barn,” 1940. Oil on canvas. Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1999.135
Charles Sheeler painted this red barn near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Sheeler was trained in industrial design. He was interested in the simplicity of buildings in the country.
Take a moment to look at both paintings. How are they similar? How are they different? Talk with someone you are with about what you notice.
Now it’s time for you to play with different shades of blue to make a True Blue painting.
You’ll need the following supplies:
- Canvas
- Blue paints
- Paint brush
- Kraft paper or newspaper
How to make your True Blue painting:
- Cover your work area with newspaper or kraft paper for easy clean-up.
- Compare all the blue paints. Is there one you like more than the others?
- Think about how you might want to combine all these blues on your canvas.
- Start painting!
- When it is finished, let it dry and then put it somewhere special.
