Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, inspired many Georgia O'Keeffe paintings.
O'Keeffe first visited Ghost Ranch in 1934 and later spent part of each year there. The property lies in northern New Mexico amid dramatic cliffs, mesas, and desert formations. Its wide views and intense colors became recurring elements in her work.
She painted sections of the landscape repeatedly, including the cliffs known as the Cerro Pedernal. O'Keeffe once described Pedernal as her private mountain, writing that God told her it was hers if she painted it often enough.
Ghost Ranch and O'Keeffe's Abiquiu home are related but distinct places. The Abiquiu house became her permanent home in 1949, while Ghost Ranch was a separate retreat and source of subjects. Both locations are now central to understanding her New Mexico period.