Georgia O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1929 and later made the state her home.
O'Keeffe traveled to New Mexico in the summer of 1929 with her friend and fellow artist Rebecca Strand. The region's mountains, adobe buildings, bones, churches, and desert plants became major subjects in her art. She returned repeatedly and eventually established a permanent base there.
Her New Mexico locations included Ghost Ranch and the village of Abiquiú. She bought a house at Abiquiú in 1945 and lived there after renovating it. The landscape was not simply a backdrop: O'Keeffe selected particular views, walked through the terrain, and transformed local forms into carefully composed paintings.
New Mexico is sometimes confused with Arizona or Utah because all three states are associated with Southwestern scenery. O'Keeffe's defining Southwestern home and artistic territory, however, was New Mexico. Her work helped make its landscape internationally recognizable.