Abiquiu, New Mexico

O’Keeffe painted this landscape in her “backyard” at Ghost Ranch. I took the photograph, right, this summer in nearly the same location.

This past summer, I traveled to Abiquiu, in northern New Mexico where Georgia O’Keeffe had a winter home in the village and a summer home 15 miles away at Ghost Ranch. It’s easy to understand why O’Keeffe chose this region to paint — the landscape is stunning and stark, reduced to bare elements of form, texture, and color. The air is clear, the local people are friendly, and August wildflowers lined the roads. Though I have admired O’Keefe’s paintings for many years, it was only upon visiting this remote area that I have come to understand the complexity of this place and how she was compelled to respond.