What I Learned from Mrs O’Keeffe

Thursday night, after my visit to the Georgia O'keeffe home and museum, I watched a video of Agapita “Pita” Lopez, the companion and secretary of Georgia O’Keeffe, and now an Honorary Trustee on the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

In the past, she was the Projects Director for both of Mrs. O’Keefe‘s homes in Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch.
From her talk, I learned that Friday was the 40th anniversary of Mrs. O’Keeffe‘s death.

She was 98 at the time of her passing in 1986.

Last week while visiting her home in Abiquiu and the museum in Santa Fe, I learned so much about her and how independent she was.

I loved seeing the places where she painted the red cliffs at Ghost Ranch and her view of the Pedernal mountain.

At the museum, I was inspired seeing the famous flowers that she painted in a huge size to ensure we would notice all their beauty; not just their overall beauty, but the beauty of the petals, the leaves, their pistils and stamens.

She appreciated all that she saw and was able to translate her vision in an abstract way that helps us understand her subject in the deeper way.
She has always fascinated me and I never understood exactly why, but last week I learned so much about her and in doing so I learned about myself too.

She was truly a pioneer as a woman in the abstract and modern art world of the United States.

She talked about how learning to paint by copying other works was disappointing for her because she knew she could never paint as well as the original artist.

She was never satisfied with her work until she learned to paint what she saw.

She certainly had an elegant way of seeing and editing, and then rendering the essence of the subject.
I learned from the guide at the home tour, Lea, that people come to the area to see her art but more often they come to learn about how she was able to design a life on her own terms as a woman in the early 1900s.

Once she said this to me, I got it; this was the exact reason I am fascinated by George O’Keeffe.

Yes I love her art.

I have drawn and painted botanicals myself for over 20 years, but when my husband Dave gave me the gift of a trip to New Mexico, I knew I had to go to Santa Fe and Abiquiu to visit the place where Mrs. O’Keeffe had lived and loved.

Why did I feel so strongly about this?

I thought it was just my normal curiosity.

Lea helped me realize I wanted to connect with Georgia O’Keeffe’s pioneer spirit, that “create the life you want” energy.

I’m so glad I did. She is even more of an inspiration to me today.

Cyndi

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