Georgia O'Keeffe country

"'Women don't make good painters,' they said. I had never thought of it that way. I just painted, that was all." Georgia O'Keeffe

The docent described Georgia O'Keeffe as one of the true American painters. She was a modernist but never went to Paris like many other American modernists, thus developed her own style. She is best known for her paintings of the Southwest.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum is located in Santa Fe on Johnson Street. O'Keefe began coming to New Mexico in 1929, moving there permanently in 1949 after her husband's death. She lived at Ghost Ranch and in Abiquiu. Both are oppen for tours. RV friend, Becky, volunteered twice at Ghost Ranch, now a Presbyterian-run conference center. She took care of the sheep and worked in the trading post.

We didn't make it to those but had spent a delightful time at the museum in Santa Fe. Her bold work is well known, her style unique. We couldn't take photos inside, but you can get a flavor of her work by looking at a few of these hand-painted reproductions of her work.

A special exhibition, "Georgia O'Keeffe and the Women of the Stieglitz Circle," can be viewed through January 13, 2008. Alfred Stieglitz, a famous photographer, was O'Keeffe's husband and promoter.

This museum is definitely worth a look-see if you are in Santa Fe. And, if in the area, see her home in Abiquiu and visit Ghost Ranch.

"Color is one of the great things in the world that makes life worth living to me and as I have come to think of painting, it is my effort to create an equivalent with paint color for the world - life as I see it."
Georgia O'Keeffe