Georgia O'Keeffe made her famous desert paintings near Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.
O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1917 and returned repeatedly during the 1920s. In 1939 she rented a house at Ghost Ranch, a dramatic area near Abiquiú known for cliffs, arroyos, and broad desert views. The landscape provided subjects that she revisited from different viewpoints and in different seasons.
New Mexico became more than a temporary source of inspiration. Its bleached bones, adobe architecture, crosses, mountains, and open skies became defining elements of her art. In 1949, after Alfred Stieglitz's death, O'Keeffe moved permanently to the state.
Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado also contain striking desert or mountain scenery, which can cause confusion. Ghost Ranch itself is specifically in northern New Mexico, and O'Keeffe's nearby Abiquiú home and studio are now preserved as historic sites.