Georgia O’Keeffe is recognized as the “Mother of American modernism.” By age 10 she had decided to become an artist but her traditional art education discouraged her and at 21 she abandoned the idea entirely, assuming she would never distinguish herself in the strict realist tradition of her teachers. However, she took up painting again in 1912 and was influenced by Arthur Wesley Dow and Japanese art emphasizing composition and design like the Post-Impressionists. It would be her momentous first trip to New Mexico in 1929, however, that would define her work and her impact on art.

It IS possible to find meaningful work, even later in life. It’s just a matter of how bad you want it, how much work you’re willing to put in, and how persistent you’re going to be to reach your goal. “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.” Georgia O’Keeffe