Two years ago my wife and I had the good fortune to tour New Mexico for a week in the winter season. The highlights resonate with me still: Santa Fe’s illuminating museums (we were especially enchanted by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture) and exhilarating galleries, the transporting chapel at Chimayo, the extraordinary rock dwellings at Bandelier National Monument, the soul-stretching landscapes dusted with snow, and muscle-solacing spas.

Among the unexpected treasures that impressed us the most were the intersections of art and nature that we discovered. The photos here symbolize this intersection for me.

Georgia O’Keefe’s Pedernal 1941/1942

We began our trip in Santa Fe, by visiting the glorious Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. One of my favorite canvases was the portrayal of Pedernal shown above, called “Pedernal 1941/1942.”

More properly called Cerro Pedernal, this mesa in the Jemez Mountains held a special fascination for O’Keeffe, who featured it in many of her paintings. About Pedernal, she wrote, “In front of my house are low scrub brushes and cottonwood trees and, further out, a line of hills. And then I have this mountain. A flat top mountain that slopes off on each side. A blue mountain.”

Two days later we were able to stay at the house O’Keeffe was referring to, the storied Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, and in the morning I awoke to this sight of the “blue mountain” in the distance, framed by wintry cottonwoods, still exuding the presence and power that so captivated the artist.

View of Cerro Pedernal from Ghost Ranch. Photo by Don George.

Later that day, art and nature came together most powerfully in a tour conducted by a knowledgeable and passionate guide named Wendy Davis. As we moved by van through the ranch’s wide-open spaces, Davis showed us photos of the landscape canvases O’Keeffe had painted and then the actual landscapes themselves.

Wendy Davis holds an O’Keeffe painting of Cerro Pedernal while standing before Cerro Pedernal. Photo by Don George.

The culmination of the tour was a stop when we clambered out of the van and gazed at Pedernal in the distance. Standing in front of us, Davis held up one of O’Keeffe’s signature paintings of the blue mountain, with the actual blue mountain mirroring its rendition beyond.

It was a magical moment when O’Keeffe’s passion and vision seemed to intertwine with our own, and it’s one of the special New Mexico enchantments that we brought home.

Discover the art of winter travel in New Mexico, Off the Beaten Path

The crowds are gone, and the galleries, museums, shops, and restaurants are open! If you’re looking for a different sort of winter vacation escape, think New Mexico—offering everything from snow sports to soaking in natural hot springs. Consider Off the Beaten Path’s custom itinerary, “In the Land of Enchantment—Art and Culture in Santa Fe, Mesa Verde, and Taos” or chat with a Custom Travel planner who specializes in New Mexico and the Four Corners Region to come up with a Private Custom Journey plan just for you. Contact us today!