Museum examines Georgia O'Keeffe's process

Beneath layers of paint, wrapped in bundles of brushes, hidden in sketchbooks and packed away among boxes of paints and pencils are clues that shed light on how Georgia O'Keeffe went about creating her colorful landscapes and iconic flower paintings.

Like forensic investigators, curators at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe have spent months combing through their collection and are sharing the many bits of evidence they have collected as part of the new exhibition, "O'Keeffiana: Art and Art Materials," which runs through May.

The collection of O'Keeffe's never-before-displayed art materials, preparatory drawings, Polaroids and a pair of unfinished paintings are designed to give visitors a better understanding of how the late American modernist transferred her ideas onto canvas.

Curators acknowledge that many of the works in "O'Keeffiana" would not be part of a traditional exhibition, but say this show is more about discovering the painter's process than celebrating what has become a worldwide fascination with her monumental flowers and sweeping vistas.

Museum admission is $10, details at okeeffemuseum.org.