Georgia O’Keeffe began visiting Ghost Ranch regularly in 1934.
Ghost Ranch is a dramatic area near Abiquiú in northern New Mexico, known for cliffs, mesas, and colorful sedimentary rock formations. O’Keeffe first visited the area in 1934 and soon made it one of the most important settings in her landscape painting.
She rented a house at Ghost Ranch for many years and painted the surrounding hills repeatedly. The stark forms and changing light allowed her to return to the same subjects while producing different compositions. Ghost Ranch therefore became a visual subject as well as a place where she worked.
Ghost Ranch is often confused with Abiquiú, which is a nearby community and the location of another important O’Keeffe home. The two places are connected in her biography but are not identical. Her famous New Mexico landscapes draw from both the broader region and specific locations.