New Mexico became Georgia O'Keeffe's principal artistic setting after she first visited the state in 1929.
She was drawn to the region's intense light, volcanic formations, adobe buildings, desert plants, and animal bones. These subjects appeared throughout her later paintings and helped define the public image of her work. She often transformed observed forms into simplified, monumental compositions rather than making straightforward topographical records.
O'Keeffe spent summers in New Mexico for many years and eventually made the state her permanent home. She lived and worked at properties in Abiquiu and near Ghost Ranch, while Santa Fe became the city where she spent her final years.
New Mexico did not replace all other subjects in her art, but it became its most enduring geographic association. Her earlier New York paintings included skyscrapers, while her later reputation is especially tied to the Southwest.