Ghost Ranch became a major source of inspiration for Georgia O'Keeffe near Abiquiú, New Mexico.
O'Keeffe first visited the area in the 1930s and repeatedly painted its cliffs, bones, roads, and expansive skies. The ranch's dramatic red and yellow formations offered the strong shapes and simplified forms that suited her highly personal approach to landscape.
Ghost Ranch lies in northern New Mexico, about 60 miles northwest of Santa Fe. O'Keeffe also maintained a home and studio in nearby Abiquiú, but the two places are not the same: Ghost Ranch is a large landscape area, while the Abiquiú property was her residence and workspace.
The scenery appears in works such as paintings of the cliffs around the ranch. O'Keeffe's New Mexico subjects were not merely travel souvenirs; they became a central part of her visual language and public identity.