Georgia O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1929.
She traveled there during the summer with her friend Rebecca Strand, the wife of photographer Paul Strand. O'Keeffe was drawn to the region's intense light, broad skies, cliffs, bones, and adobe architecture. These subjects soon became central to her art and her public identity.
After the first visit, she returned regularly and spent increasing amounts of time in the Southwest. Her New Mexico paintings were not simple travel illustrations: she selected and rearranged forms to create highly personal compositions. The state provided both recognizable subjects and a setting for abstraction.
O'Keeffe's first visit should not be confused with her later permanent move. She did not make New Mexico her year-round home immediately. Her sustained relationship with the region developed over many years before she moved there permanently after Alfred Stieglitz's death in 1946.