Which canyon did Georgia O'Keeffe first paint after visiting it in 1916?

Georgia O'Keeffe first painted Palo Duro Canyon after visiting it in 1916. The canyon lies in the Texas Panhandle and is often called the “Grand Canyon of Texas.”

O'Keeffe encountered the canyon while teaching in Texas. Its layered walls, vivid colors, and unusual scale provided material for watercolors and other works. She later recalled the landscape as a powerful experience, and it became an early example of how regional terrain could shape her modernist approach.

Palo Duro Canyon should not be confused with the New Mexico landscapes that dominated O'Keeffe’s later career. Her Texas paintings predate her first trip to New Mexico in 1929. The canyon’s location in Texas also reflects an important period when O'Keeffe taught art and developed ideas that moved beyond conventional academic representation.