Ghost Ranch inspired Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of a ranch and surrounding cliffs.
Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center near Abiquiú in northern New Mexico. O'Keeffe began spending time in the area during the 1930s and repeatedly painted its dramatic cliffs, mesas, and desert surroundings. The landscape became one of the most recognizable settings in her work.
She was especially attracted to the area's isolated geological formations and changing light. Her paintings did not aim to provide neutral topographic records; she simplified and reorganized forms to express their visual power. The red cliffs associated with Ghost Ranch appear in several important works.
Ghost Ranch and Abiquiú are related but not interchangeable locations. O'Keeffe lived and worked in both areas, and her nearby Abiquiú home later became a museum site. Ghost Ranch is best known in connection with the broad, rugged landscape that she described as her private mountain.