The Faraway

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Ghost Ranch II Pastel John Hulsey

Among our favorite places to paint in the southwestern United States is Abiquiu, New Mexico. The scenery is spectacular, the light clear and bright, and there is a special feeling to the place that just seems to bring out the creative spirit in us. We owe our interest in Abiquiu to Georgia O’Keeffe, of course, and one can take a tour to see the landscapes she made famous in the area known as Ghost Ranch. (For more information about O’Keeffe, here is link to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.) The ranch is now owned by the Presbyterian church, and they run a lively and popular camp facility with guest houses, cafeteria and other amenities. As with all real estate, location is everything, and the area around Ghost Ranch has so much to paint in all directions that it can take awhile to choose which scenic charms to paint first. One can paint the intensely colored mountains and rock formations, which O’Keeffe referred…