Ghost Ranch became closely associated with Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico paintings.
O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1917 and returned regularly during the 1920s. She was especially drawn to the dramatic cliffs, mesas, bones, and changing light around Ghost Ranch, a region near Abiquiu in northern New Mexico. The landscape supplied subjects for many of her paintings.
She described the area as a place where she felt at home and repeatedly painted the same geological forms from different viewpoints. Her work transformed local scenery into simplified shapes and bold color arrangements rather than straightforward topographical records.
Ghost Ranch is not the same place as O'Keeffe's separate home and studio in Abiquiu. She lived at Ghost Ranch for periods and maintained a residence at Abiquiu, but the two locations are distinct. Today, Ghost Ranch is known both for its scenery and for its connection with O'Keeffe, whose New Mexico paintings helped make the region internationally recognizable.