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Illustrating an art icon: Beth Leak captures Georgia O’Keeffe for ‘Wisconsin Biographies’
July 21, 2025 Leave a Comment
PBS Wisconsin Education’s popular Wisconsin Biographies series shares the stories of people who made Wisconsin history. The educational collection is designed for grades 3-6, but appeals to viewers of all ages thanks to its short, engaging animated videos.
Artist Georgia O’Keeffe will join the collection this September. Known for her paintings of flowers, buildings, bones and landscapes, her story models perseverance in the face of skepticism and discouragement.
Storyboard for the Georgia O’Keeffe animated video.
To help capture O’Keeffe for the animated video, PBS Wisconsin Education turned to PBS Wisconsin illustrator intern Beth Leak. Her vibrant and expressive style brings the story to life while giving a nod to O’Keeffe’s eye for color and shape.
PBS Wisconsin Education recently spoke with Leak to learn about her process for the project.
PBS Wisconsin Education: How long have you been drawing and illustrating?
Leak: I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil! I started practicing illustrating around 8 years old when I would make comics about my pets called “The Adventures of Bailey, Sam and Boo!”
PBS Wisconsin Education: What do you love about creating art?
Leak: It’s completely human! I think art is what makes life worth living for humanity. Art and people.
PBS Wisconsin Education: How did you approach developing the art for the Georgia O’Keeffe biography?
Leak: I copied a lot of her color palettes and repurposed them. I wanted to put most of my efforts towards relaying her color sensibilities because I think her use of color is so iconic. For shapes, I exaggerated her organic, flowy shape design to work better for animation.
Click Leak’s image below to learn more about her illustrating process.
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PBS Wisconsin Education: Were there any challenges you encountered on this project?
Leak: Sometimes it could be a challenge balancing Georgia O’Keeffe’s style with a style that works well for animation. But having a great art director and great team made problem solving and brainstorming solutions fun and easy.
PBS Wisconsin Education: Why is it important for kids to learn about artists like O’Keeffe?
Leak: I think it’s important for kids to see an artist who became successful despite the odds against her. More importantly, I hope they see that Georgia O’Keeffe had to work for her success and it didn’t just come easy. She had to listen to critique and find a way to make it work.
Snapshot from the Georgia O’Keeffe animated video in the Wisconsin Biographies collection.
PBS Wisconsin Education: What would you say to any aspiring artists who may want to explore a career like yours?
Leak: Keep trying! Most aspiring artists eventually give up, so by continuing to try, you’re already doing something amazing for yourself. Talk to people. As artists, it’s easy to isolate ourselves at our desks, but the relationships you make with other artists are so important when making a career for yourself.
I’d also say that you don’t have to have art as your career to be an artist. Making art as a hobby does not make you less of an artist. There is no shame in either route.
To stay up to date on the latest releases from PBS Wisconsin Education, sign up for their K-12 newsletter. You can see more of Beth Leak’s work on her website.
