Which Texas canyon inspired Georgia O'Keeffe while she taught near Canyon?

Palo Duro Canyon inspired Georgia O'Keeffe while she taught near Canyon, Texas.

O'Keeffe taught at West Texas State Normal College, now West Texas A&M University, in Canyon from 1916 to 1918. During this period she explored the nearby Palo Duro Canyon and made paintings based on its dramatic geological forms.

Palo Duro Canyon is often called the “Grand Canyon of Texas.” It is located in the Texas Panhandle and is the second-largest canyon system in the United States by overall size, after the Grand Canyon. Its layered red and ochre rocks offered O'Keeffe a powerful subject for simplified, modern compositions.

The canyon should not be confused with New Mexico landscapes such as Ghost Ranch or the Rio Grande valley. Those New Mexico places became central later, after O'Keeffe began visiting the state in the 1920s and eventually settled there.