Cerro Pedernal was Georgia O’Keeffe’s recurring New Mexico mountain subject. The flat-topped peak lies in the Jemez Mountains and became a recognizable feature in many of her paintings.
O’Keeffe first saw Cerro Pedernal from the surrounding landscape and returned to its distinctive silhouette repeatedly. She simplified the mountain into strong horizontal and vertical shapes, sometimes presenting it with skies, bones, or other forms.
The mountain was near the places where she lived and worked in northern New Mexico, including Abiquiú and Ghost Ranch. Its repeated appearance demonstrates how O’Keeffe transformed a specific local landmark into a personal visual emblem.
After her death, O’Keeffe’s ashes were scattered at the top of Cerro Pedernal. The mountain therefore has both an artistic and a biographical importance: it was a subject in her paintings and part of the final disposition of her remains.