Ghost Ranch became one of Georgia O'Keeffe's best-known New Mexico subjects.
The ranch lies near Abiquiú in northern New Mexico, below dramatic cliffs and mesas. O'Keeffe first visited the area in the 1930s and repeatedly painted its red-and-yellow formations, including a mesa she called the White Place. She found the landscape visually powerful because of its simplified shapes, strong colors, and immense sky.
O'Keeffe eventually acquired a house at Ghost Ranch, although she also maintained a home and studio in the nearby village of Abiquiú. The two locations are related but are not the same place. The Abiquiú house later became especially associated with her daily working life.
Ghost Ranch is also significant because O'Keeffe's ashes were scattered there after her death in 1986. The site is now a retreat and education center, while its landscapes remain closely identified with the artist's New Mexico period.