New Mexico became Georgia O'Keeffe's permanent home after she moved to Abiquiu in 1949.
O'Keeffe had first visited New Mexico in 1929 and returned frequently during the following years. She was attracted to its expansive skies, geological formations, adobe architecture, plants, animal bones, and strong sunlight. In 1949, after buying the Abiquiu house, she made the state her principal home.
New Mexico became inseparable from the public image of her later career, but it was not her only subject or workplace. She had earlier painted in New York and at Lake George, and she had also lived in Texas while teaching art. Her Southwestern paintings include both recognizable places and highly simplified forms. O'Keeffe remained in New Mexico until her death in Santa Fe in 1986, making the state the setting for the longest and most influential phase of her life.