SaeMay: The New Mexico Journals - Ghost Ranch Day 1 & 2

Ghost Ranch.

The arrival to Georgia's land literally made me nearly run the car off the road - it was so stunning. So imagined. So perfect in the slow rise after the turnoff to green valley rock mountain.

And here. With the Adobe and the birds and Georgia's mountain turning to purple and indigo in the distance.

Ghost House

Today was a gentle immersion into art play with Katie Kendrick's class - like sinking into a bath. An exercise in self portraiture without looking but by touch and feel of the face. Allowing the inner kinder to play. Quite enjoyed it. Then free form sketch with the Lyra pencil - just shapes from reference material whatever we were drawn to. Then layers of paint; blending and layers.

The best though, and much anticipated was the horseback ride out to Georgia O'Keefe's house - an island of private property fenced off, surrounded by Ghost Ranch lands. Now owned by the museum but seldom entered. And seeing her lavender hills and finding them not so large as they appear in the paintings.

Horse wrangler & trail guide Jeff

My horse was hilariously grumpy - Socks - and he couldn't be bothered. We trailed along behind the group at a slow lope except for an occasional break into trot when he decided he wanted to catch up. The strange nostalgia of being on a horse again. The creak of the saddle, the smell, the feel of his breathing beneath. But mostly the ride itself - being out in the country in the quiet. Getting to go to a place not really accessible otherwise.