New Mexico inspired Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of the Pedernal and Ghost Ranch.
O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1917 and returned repeatedly during the 1920s and 1930s. Its cliffs, deserts, adobe buildings, bones, and intense light became central subjects in her work. She later divided her time between New York and New Mexico before moving permanently to the state in 1949.
The Pedernal, a flat-topped mountain near Abiquiú, appeared in many of her paintings. O'Keeffe famously described it as her “private mountain,” a phrase reflecting how strongly she associated the landmark with her artistic imagination.
Ghost Ranch, north of Abiquiú, also supplied recurring landscapes and geological forms. New Mexico is sometimes confused with Arizona or Utah because all three states contain dramatic desert scenery, but O'Keeffe's best-known southwestern home and subjects were specifically in New Mexico.