What New Mexico ranch became one of Georgia O'Keeffe's favorite subjects?

Ghost Ranch became one of Georgia O'Keeffe's favorite subjects in New Mexico.

The ranch lies near Abiquiú in northern New Mexico, where dramatic cliffs, mesas, and changing light provided O'Keeffe with recurring motifs. She first visited the area in 1935 and repeatedly painted its formations, especially the red-and-gold cliffs known as the Pedernal.

O'Keeffe once wrote that the Pedernal was her private mountain, adding that God told her if she painted it often enough, she could have it. The statement captures how a specific landscape became a personal visual symbol rather than merely a scenic view.

Ghost Ranch is not the same place as O'Keeffe's house and studio in Abiquiú. She lived at that Abiquiú property from 1949, while Ghost Ranch was a major nearby landscape she visited and painted. Both locations are essential to understanding her New Mexico period.