VISIT TO ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO
Fall in New Mexico
and time to paint outdoors in the clear mountain air
Northern New Mexico Georgia O'Keeffe country
My husband and I spent a wonderful day in Abiquiu visiting many artists' open studios. Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch are favorite places of mine. The Pedernal mountain was something Georgia O'Keeffe loved to paint.
Georgia O'Keeffe is well known for her love of New Mexico as depicted in her art. She came to New Mexico in 1929 as a guest of Mabel Dodge Luhan who was part of an arts and literary circle in Taos.
Beginning in the mid-30's she lived and worked at her home at Ghost Ranch. In 1945 she purchased a second home down the road in Abiquiu. She walked in the desert and painted the New Mexico landscapes until her failing eyesight forced her to stop in 1984. She died, in Santa Fe, in 1986.
Abiquiu is believed to have been settled by Indians from Mesa Verde who abandoned the area in 1500. By the mid-1700's, Spain colonized the region by deeding land grants to the Christianized Indians who were affiliated with the Spanish. It is believed that parts of Georgia O'Keeffe's home may date back to this period, perhaps 1760.
The adobe home in the village of Abiquiu has been left much as it was when O'Keeffe lived there. When Georgia O'Keeffe purchased the property it was in ruins. The walled compound is set on the edge of a mesa and the view, itself, is worth having a home in that location. Over the next three years, O'Keeffe worked with her friend, Maria Chabot, to renovate the property. She added gardens and innovative architectural detail.
The cottonwood trees hadn't completely turned yellow; my hope is to find a day in my painting schedule to return to Abiquiu within two weeks when fall is in full glory.
