Book Review: Georgia’s Garden

Article by Donna Iverson

Gardens offer many gifts in addition to food.  In Georgia O’Keefe’s case, the garden grew her art.
A new children’s picture book, called Gifts from Georgia’s Garden, tells the story. It  offers a unique insight into the work of this artist/ gardener.  The book’s subtitle is “How Georgia O’Keefe Nourished Her Art.”

About 80 years ago in New Mexico, O’Keefe decided to grow a garden and paint what she grew. 
She grew flowers and began making oversized  paintings of them. Her favorites were daffodils, irises, lilacs, poppies and hollyhocks. She said she wanted people to really look closely at the flowers. It was these oversized paintings that made her a famous artist, worldwide.

O’Keefe also grew vegetables, including lettuce, leeks, chilis, carrots, leeks and chard. Garden herbs included parsley and lovage. Harvesting the vegetables, she prepared simple soups and salads for her friends. For dinner dishes, she offered tomato soufflés and chili enchiladas.
While art was her main focus, it was the interplay between her garden and her painting that fueled her creativity.

Born in 1887 and raised on a Wisconsin farm, O’Keefe declared at age 8 that she would become an artist. But it wasn’t until the 1940s when she moved to New Mexico and planted her garden, that her artistic career brought her national recognition. As early as 1945, she was practicing such gardening techniques as composting, companion planting, and water conservation.

The book published this year was written by Lisa Robinson of Boston and illustrated by Hadley Hooper, who lives in Denver. 
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If you are interested in gardening and or art, this is a wonderful book to share with children. And even adults will learn a lot about O’Keefe from this lovely picture book. You can likely find it in the children’s department of your local library, in the biography section.

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