Georgia O'Keeffe found the landscapes that became central to her art in New Mexico.
O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1929 and returned repeatedly. She was drawn to its intense light, cliffs, deserts, adobe buildings, bones, and broad skies. These subjects became a major part of her mature work and distinguished her imagery from her earlier New York paintings and abstractions.
She divided her time between New York and New Mexico for many years. In 1949, three years after Alfred Stieglitz died, she moved permanently to New Mexico. She lived and worked in Abiquiú and spent time near Ghost Ranch.
New Mexico is sometimes confused with Arizona because both states are associated with the American Southwest. O'Keeffe's most famous Southwestern homes and working places were in New Mexico, including an adobe house in Abiquiú and a property near Ghost Ranch.