Ghost Ranch became a major source of subjects for Georgia O'Keeffe.
O'Keeffe first visited the area in northern New Mexico in 1934 and returned repeatedly. Its cliffs, mesas, bones, and expansive skies provided visual material for many paintings and drawings.
Ghost Ranch lies near Abiquiú, about 60 miles northwest of Santa Fe. O'Keeffe later acquired a house in the nearby village of Abiquiú, while Ghost Ranch remained one of the landscapes most strongly associated with her work.
Her paintings did not simply reproduce scenery. She isolated bones, hills, and architectural forms, enlarging or simplifying them into highly controlled compositions. This is why recognizable New Mexico locations can appear both realistic and abstract in her art.