O’Keeffe created still life paintings to observe and investigate objects from nature. “It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get a real meaning of things,” she explained. For her, meaning resided in shape, color, and the emotional reaction they evoked. She collected objects whose particular qualities represented a specific place or interest she had: in this case, her fascination with nature in New Mexico, where she spent her summers starting in 1929. (http://collection.crystalbridges.org/objects/137/feather-and-brown-leaf?ctx=f0b19f1e-b92f-4a52-a584-b00ba5ae19cb&idx=3)