Ghost Ranch is about an hour’s drive from Albuquerque. Formerly the home of Georgia O’Keeffe it is now a retreat center.
As I drove closer, I recognized some of the surrounding landscape from her paintings. Landscapes in the US southwest are notable for the way sunlight and open sky play upon the rugged terrain. During the day I spent there, the sky changed a dozen times, painting the cliffs different tones of ochre and deepening or flattening their aspect.
When the guide held up reproductions of O’Keeffe’s paintings against her inspiration it was clear how well O’Keeffe captured the area’s beauty.
