Ghost Ranch became Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico home and a major subject of her art.
O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1929 and returned repeatedly, drawn to its dramatic cliffs, desert colors, and distinctive light. She began spending summers at Ghost Ranch, a property near Abiquiu, and later made the region central to her working life. Paintings such as those showing the cliffs known as the Red Hills reflect this environment.
Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center in Rio Arriba County, north of Abiquiu. Before becoming associated with O'Keeffe, it had a long history connected with ranching and local settlement. Its geological formations helped make it one of the most recognizable landscapes in northern New Mexico.
O'Keeffe also maintained a house in the village of Abiquiu. The two places are related but not interchangeable: Ghost Ranch was her summer setting and source of many motifs, while Abiquiu became her principal New Mexico home. This distinction prevents a common location mix-up.