Georgia O'Keeffe’s “faraway” New Mexico home was Ghost Ranch, which she began visiting in 1934.
Ghost Ranch is a dramatic area near Abiquiú, New Mexico, known for multicolored cliffs, mesas, and open high-desert space. O'Keeffe first visited the area in 1934 and rented a house there from 1936. She used the surrounding landscape as a recurring source for paintings and drawings, including views of the cliffs and nearby natural forms.
O'Keeffe’s connection with Ghost Ranch is separate from her Abiquiú house. Ghost Ranch was her remote retreat and studio environment, while the Abiquiú property became a more settled home that she restored and occupied later. Both places are associated with her New Mexico years, which is why they are frequently confused.
Ghost Ranch is also a retreat and education center operated by the Presbyterian Church. Its public identity extends beyond O'Keeffe, but her paintings made the landscape especially famous internationally. Her phrase “faraway” home described the distance and solitude she valued there.