Georgia O'Keefe Ghost Ranch and Museum

My husband and I have been to Santa Fe once before about 10 years ago.  On this trip I wanted the family to drive out to see Georgia O'Keefe's Ghost Ranch.  She is in the top ten of the artists I like.  The kids and I did a small unit on her last year and I wanted the kids to see more.

The drive out there is beautiful, every turn in the road brought  new colors to the landscape.  I can see why Georgia O'Keefe fell in love with the area.

Several stops where we could get out and climb the stones.

This little wooden house was the right inside the ranch and is said to be in the movie City Slickers

From inside you can see O'keefe favorite mountain Pedernal.   She said if she painted it enough God would give it to her.

The colors of the mountain washed out but it was a pretty picture

Hoodoo and more landscapes around the ranch

Pedernal

We made it to the ranch and even tho we check the website we were so disappointed to find out we could not view the actual house of Georgia O'Keefe as it is no longer owned by the ranch but by the Museum in Santa Fe:(  The actual house Georgia O'keefe lived in is several miles away from the ranch.

The ranch was once a holiday destination for cowboy and girl wanna be.  Georgia O'Keefe rented a cottage from the owners for many years.  There is a story that said she showed up unannounced at the ranch and found someone living in her cottage and she was furious.  The owner pointed out it was not really hers, at which point she demanded he sell it to her immediately.

The ranch is now used as a new age spiritual location.  There are also camp groups there.

One of the side house that people can go into to mediate, paint or  get together with friends.

Also a small museum on the State Fossil what was found on this ranch

 I have to say I was extremely disappointed in the ranch, the website does not really give you the impression that you can't see Georgia O'Keefe house.  In fact the ranch itself has no art work from Georgia O'keefe and very little information on her:(  There is a bus tour that will take you past her house for $25 that you can't go into, but it does take you to some of her favorite places to paint on the ranch.  We tried to get on the tour but it was all booked, which must be done online, which again the website is not clear about.

The next day we took the children to the museum in Santa Fe so we could see some of her art work.  My husband is not a huge fan of her art:(  but the kids like it.  The exhibit however was more  on her work in New York shortly after her marriage.

She lead an interesting life and there are many rumors of  her personal life that I wasn't aware of.  I was not aware of most of her earlier work in New York and was not allow to take pictures

Thankfully they did have some rooms with the art work that the children and I are more familiar with.  I was impressed with the kids and how much they studied her work.

Some we recognized from the books and web sites we have seen

others were more abstract and very different from the work she is known for.

I was much happier after I left the museum than when I left Ghost ranch! Had I known we would not see her house, art work and really anything at all related to Georgia O'keefe I wouldn't have made my family drive all the way out there.  On a positive note the drive out there is magnificent.   I am told you can schedule tours at Georgia O'keefe house from the museum but they do not run often. If we ever make it out there again I will try going that route.