March 2018 – Whitworth and I

A friendly and knowledgeable docent (in purple) relates the
backstory while visitors soak up the atmosphere and the visuals.

Her paintings are included in the collections of many museums. Biographies have been written chronicling the details of her life and career. Opportunities to learn about the painter Georgia O’Keeffe and her art abound.

Visiting her home and studio — maintained just as she left them — adds another dimension. You can see for yourself how she lived, where she worked, and the little village she chose to make home — just fifteen miles from Ghost Ranch, where she also spent so much time hiking and painting.

O’Keeffe started visiting New Mexico in 1929 — after her artistic career was established — and it wasn’t until 1945 that she bought the property in Abiquiu. Already in her late 50s when she moved permanently to the area she is nevertheless indelibly linked to the landscape of the Southwest.

Simple and spare inside and out, filled with light and style, the house seems rooted to its spot at the edge of the mesa and its place in the history of the pueblo. The big New Mexico sky and landscape spill into the studio through the long plate glass windows that fill the north wall. What you realize is that her art was expressed in everything she did.

A courtyard (left) and part of the garden area (right). A glimpse of the Pueblo de Abiquiu plaza is
just visible beyond the garden.

A lot of people can’t resist picking up interesting rocks — even Georgia O’Keeffe.

The view from the house looking north, with ‘The White Place’ (Plaza Blanca) in the distance
beyond the Rio Chama. Towards the end of March when the acequias begin to run, the fields
will turn green. By the end of April the cottonwoods along the river will have leafed out.

Views of the landscape that inspired the artist are all around — such as the curve of the road
below the house (left) and her beloved Cerro Pedernal (right). The dark-trunked cottonwoods
on the north side of the road mid-frame are also recognizable from one of O’Keefe’s paintings.

LINKS:

Watch the progress of the garden on the Abiquiu webcam.
Find out more about Georgia O’Keeffe.

Above the north bank of the Chama river, and within sight of the Pueblo of Abiquiu, is a weird and wonderful place called Plaza Blanca.

A confluence of drainages have worked their way down through the light volcanic tuff and sandstone of the Abiquiu Formation, laid down tens of millions of years ago, to create towering cliffs and spires in shades of white to beige.

It’s a stunning place to hike. Paths lead down from the parking area but soon peter out. Follow your nose or the views or whatever else catches your attention. Each time you visit, something different will be revealed. And you’ll find rocks, lots of interesting rocks — volcanic and quartz cobbles litter the ground having tumbled from layers high in the weathering cliffs. Wildflowers bloom in spring, and small rodents and reptiles leave tracks in the soft dirt, mostly in the shelter of the scattered junipers.

Plaza Blanca features in local history. Thousands of acres surrounding the cliffs and extending to the river were included in one of the original land grants in the area; the Plaza Blanca Grant was awarded to Manuel Bustos in 1739 by Governor Gaspar Domingo de Mendoza. It must have been a landmark for Ancient Puebloan people long before that. Today the land belongs to Dar al-Islam, a religious organization which allows access to hikers and others visiting Plaza Blanca.

Directions:
Head north on US Highway 84 towards Abiquiu. Four miles before reaching Bode’s General Store, you’ll come to State Rd 554. Turn right. Just after crossing the Rio Chama, turn left onto County Road 155. Follow 155 for about 3 1/2 miles until you reach the gate to Dar al-Islam. Turn right through the gate and follow the gravel road to a fork in the road. Go right at the fork to the small parking area for Plaza Blanca.

Month: March 2018

Interpreting Miss O’Keeffe

‘The White Place’ Fascinates in Northwest New Mexico