Georgia O’Keeffe made many paintings of desert landscapes and adobe buildings in New Mexico. She first visited the state in 1917 and returned regularly before making it her permanent home.
The region gave O’Keeffe subjects that became closely associated with her mature work: the cliffs around Ghost Ranch, the hills near Abiquiú, animal bones, churches, roads, and stark desert skies. She translated these forms into simplified compositions with strong colors and clear contours.
O’Keeffe did not simply copy scenery. She selected details, enlarged forms, and reorganized landscapes to create powerful modernist images. This is why her New Mexico paintings can look both recognizable and highly abstract.
New Mexico is sometimes confused with Arizona because both states have dramatic desert environments. O’Keeffe’s strongest long-term connection, however, was with northern New Mexico, especially Ghost Ranch and Abiquiú. The landscapes there became central to her public image and artistic legacy.