Georgia O'Keeffe frequently painted Ghost Ranch after first visiting it in 1934.
Ghost Ranch is a dramatic area near Abiquiú in northern New Mexico, known for colorful cliffs, mesas, and open desert. O'Keeffe began spending extended periods there in the 1930s, and its geological formations became recurring subjects in her paintings and drawings.
The landscape's red, yellow, and purple surfaces helped define the visual identity associated with O'Keeffe's New Mexico work. Ghost Ranch was not her only Southwestern subject: she also painted Abiquiú, the Pedernal mountain, churches, bones, and desert plants. Her Abiquiú home and Ghost Ranch residence are therefore related but distinct places.