Vija Celmins' Desert Floor series, created primarily in the early 1970s, is a significant body of work that continues her exploration of natural surfaces and their intricate details. This series consists of detailed renderings of desert landscapes, focusing on the texture and vastness of the desert floor. Celmins meticulously translates photographs of these barren landscapes into graphite drawings, emphasizing the subtle variations in the terrain.

The "Desert Floor" series is marked by Celmins' characteristic approach of eliminating traditional perspectives and horizon lines, creating an immersive and expansive visual experience. Each drawing is a labor-intensive process, often taking months to complete, as Celmins painstakingly builds up layers of graphite to capture the intricate details of the desert surface. This method allows her to achieve a high level of realism, while also inviting viewers to engage deeply with the materiality and texture of the work (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) (SFMOMA).

Celmins' work in this series can be seen as a continuation of her interest in capturing the vastness and complexity of natural phenomena, a theme she also explored in her ocean and star field drawings. By focusing on the seemingly monotonous surface of the desert, she highlights the subtle beauty and complexity of these landscapes, encouraging viewers to look more closely and appreciate the intricate patterns and details that might otherwise go unnoticed (SFMOMA) (Art and Object).

This series, like much of Celmins' work, blurs the line between abstraction and representation. While the drawings are based on real landscapes, their lack of contextual markers and the repetitive nature of the patterns create an almost abstract quality. This ambiguity challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of natural landscapes and the ways in which these environments can be represented in art (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) (SFMOMA).

Te Desert Floor series is a testament to Vija Celmins' meticulous technique and her ability to transform ordinary natural surfaces into subjects of profound artistic inquiry. Her detailed and contemplative approach invites viewers to engage deeply with the artwork, fostering a greater appreciation for the subtle complexities of the natural world (SFMOMA) (Art and Object) .