On creating : A brush with Georgia O'Keeffe

Abstract

In 1988, my interest in the Twentieth Century American painter and feminist icon, Georgia O'Keeffe, was sparked by two seemingly disparate events: The Art Institute of Chicago's first posthumous retrospective show of the painter's works and the twentieth anniversary reunion of the original Broadway cast of Hair (of which I had been a member) that was celebrated at the United Nations in New York. Somewhere within me at that time O'Keeffe and Hair became entwined. In studying O'Keeffe's life I sensed that her sincerity of aspiration coupled with her dogged resolve were life-lessons that might inform all artists. As a performing artist, a logical vehicle by which I could explore O'Keeffe was through the creation and performance of a play about her life. In embarking in this direction, I hoped to discover some key to creativity whereby all artists could be informed. O'Keeffe was a historical figure so my work included historical research that included autobiographical and biographical sources, videocassettes, correspondence, newspaper and magazine commentary. In addition to studying historical resources, O'Keeffe's art was a primary resource; in particular what inspired it, how O'Keeffe painted and her philosophy of art. My research prompted the question: "At what point does the tenacious biographer leave off and the artful dramatist begin?" This question expresses the key creative and ethical problem of such a project: how much creative license can be taken with a subject who was an actual human being with a verifiable history? O'Keeffe was a creature of contradiction so rather than attempting to reconcile the contradiction between historical accuracy and creativity, I would begin by immersing myself in the known facts about my subject which I would then use as an impetus for my imaginative engagement with her life. The frisson generated by this cohabitation of contradictions could result in a release that could then be shared with audiences and, hopefully, enhance their understanding of the subject and the nature of creativity. To "dance", so to speak, with her contradictions became my goal and methodology for writing A Brush With Georgia O'Keeffe. A part of my study also considers my experience playing the character, Georgia O'Keeffe. I had not anticipated that O'Keeffe's emotional contrarieties would affect me personally. I had expected her mood swings to manifest within the character of O'Keeffe; in fact, they also became a part of the actor portraying her. In addition, because O'Keeffe worked and reworked her subjects, I permitted myself that luxury as a writer; however, I neglected to allow myself as the actor time to engage in a similar exploration in order to integrate the rhythm of the role into my body. By default, I also became producer for the WorkShop production of my play (overburdening myself at a time when my focus should have been on the role of Georgia). Nonetheless, O'Keeffe's belief that one's artistic expression must be the most perfect manifestation of one's truth fueled my own conviction that integral to any artist of sincere aspiration was the quest for a pure form of personal expression as well as the necessity of maintaining one's artistic vision. It was O'Keeffe's philosophy that kept me on course as a performer. Moreover, although there is no blueprint for the creation of biographical drama, in the case of a work exploring the ambivalent O'Keeffe, embracing the dualities of historical accuracy and artistic integrity offered assurances of a probable road to travel. By embracing her inner direction and balancing her contrarieties, O'Keeffe seemingly guided my foray into her life.

Date of Award	2008
Original language	English