Pedernal became a recurring subject in Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico paintings.
Cerro Pedernal, commonly called Pedernal, is a flat-topped mountain in northern New Mexico. O'Keeffe first visited the state in 1929 and repeatedly painted the distinctive mesa, making it one of the most recognizable landscape forms associated with her work.
She viewed the mountain from the area around Abiquiú and Ghost Ranch, where she spent long periods working. O'Keeffe simplified its shape and used it in compositions that emphasize color, distance, and the stark geometry of the landscape.
Pedernal should not be confused with the larger Sangre de Cristo or Jemez mountain ranges. It is a distinct volcanic mesa and became a personal visual landmark for O'Keeffe. Her attachment to it was famously expressed in her statement that it was her private mountain, though the exact wording is often quoted in shortened forms.