CASA DEL SOL

September 20 – September 26, 2026

Drawing From Nature: Bones and Blossoms

Please call Prescilla Tafoya at 505-685-1019 or email prescillat@ghostranch.org to book lodging for this program.

At Ghost Ranch, Georgia O’Keeffe found inspiration in the desert around her. Flowers and animal bones were among her favorite subjects. Here is your chance to explore how the same subjects inspire YOU. Refine your realistic drawing skills with 5 days & 6 nights in residence at historic Casa del Sol, amid the spectacular landscape where O’Keeffe lived and painted. We will draw bones and blooms from life. Morning instruction with daily demos will cover drawing techniques in charcoal (for the bones) and colored pencil with watercolor (for the flowers). Afternoons will offer free time to continue working, or to rest, hike, or take a horseback ride. Evenings will include guided nature walks, stargazing, and camaraderie around a courtyard fire. Space will be limited to 9. Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. Join us!

September 27 – October 3, 2026

Mindful Birding & Nature Journaling

Led by Holly Thomas & Cheryl Fallstead

Please call Prescilla Tafoya at 505-685-1019 or email prescillat@ghostranch.org to book lodging for this program.

Mindful birding and nature journaling are perfect partners for creating a deeper connection to the natural world. Over the course of our time together at Ghost Ranch, you’ll be invited to slow down, notice, and give shape to moments of wonder.

Mindful Birding
When we weave together the observation of wild birds with mindfulness, this is mindful birding.This joyful practice offers us a chance to be present with what is: to reflect and appreciate while experiencing gratitude, wonder, and awe.

The simple act of focusing attention on the present moment with kindness and without judgment can be a gateway to well being, but this isn’t always easy. Attentiveness in nature — noticing the sights, the sounds, the smells, and sensations that arise — can be a form of mindfulness practice that comes more easily for many people. With mindful birding, the birds themselves — their movements, behaviors, sounds — can serve as the anchor for our attention.

Nature Journaling
Another way to focus attention on what we experience is through nature journaling, which is the practice of recording observations using words, pictures, and numbers. Whether focusing on birds, plants, insects, or even the clouds in the sky, we can form deeper connections through nature journaling.

Using a sketchbook (we’ll make two different journals) and basic mark-making tools, we can observe closely, then record our observations and wonderings. This practice can be done anywhere and any time, helping develop both curiosity and our connection to nature.

Join birding enthusiast and mindfulness meditation teacher Holly Thomas along with birder and nature journaling educator Cheryl Fallstead as we explore the beauty and wonder of Ghost Ranch — with nature as our guide. We’ll spend a week together with sit spots, mindful walks, journaling, and sharing our moments of connection.

Please click here for a brief overview and introduction from the Instructors, Supply List & Workshop Schedule.

October 27 – November 2, 2026

Creative Retreat for Days of the Dead

Led by Helen Byers

Please call Prescilla Tafoya at 505-685-1019 or email prescillat@ghostranch.org to book lodging for this program.

Days of the Dead (Días de los Muertos) is the Latin American holiday coinciding with Halloween, All Souls’ Day, and All Saints’ Day. It is both a shared acknowledgment of death’s reality and a celebration of lives of deceased loved ones. Come explore the creative whimsy and dark humor, cultural history and creative arts of this ancient festivity. We will make traditional Mexican crafts, including papel picado (cut paper banners), playfully decorated sugar skulls, pan de muertos (a sweet bread), and ofrendas (memorial “altars”).

The retreat is housed at Casa del Sol, an historic adobe house two miles beyond the main campus of Ghost Ranch, overlooking the high-desert cliffs, mesas, and mountain that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe. Mornings will begin with discussion of a poem or short text, followed by crafts. Afternoons will provide time to relax, hike, take a ranch tour or horseback ride, or visit nearby sites such as Ojo Caliente Hot Springs. Evenings will offer firelight, stars, and camaraderie. Throughout our time, we will decorate and share our ofrendas. Join us for thoughtful discussion and creative fun!

November 2 – November 8, 2026

Plein Air

Led by Natasha Isenhour

Please call Prescilla Tafoya at 505-685-1019 or email prescillat@ghostranch.org to book lodging for this program.

What better place than Ghost Ranch to hone your plein air chops with the grand vistas and beautiful, endlessly interesting skies?

Prepare to spend a week, learning how to capture the essence of your view through demonstration and one on one guidance. Composition, value and temperature (color) are at the core of all my classes and painting outdoors gives you the truest sense of those concepts.

We will begin each day discussing some helpful ways to set yourself up for your best plein air experience and talk about how to zero in on your subject out in the field. My expertise is in pastel, oil, and watercolor. The concepts for a great painting are the same no matter the medium.

We have the privilege of staying and working at Casa del Sol in the Painted Desert, located in the restricted access side of the ranch and will go to the main campus for meals at the dining hall. As with all my workshops at the ranch, I encourage you to explore tours and activities offered by the ranch. We can work together to decide the best times for this so you can get the most from your workshop experience and the offerings of the ranch.

As a New Mexico artist, I have taught many classes here over the years and have had several months long residencies at Ghost Ranch, as well as leading the Artists in Residence program for a month. I hope you will join me to share a unique and wonderful perspective on this magical place.

You will need to bring your own materials. Please see the welcome letter/Materials List PDF for more details and my contact information. You can also see more of my work and resume at http://www.natashaisenhour.com

Please click here for a brief overview and introduction from the Instructor & Supply List.

November 29 – December 5, 2026

Reconnect with Nature’s Rhythm

Led by Beth Roome & Flossie O’Leary

Please call Prescilla Tafoya at 505-685-1019 or email prescillat@ghostranch.org to book lodging for this program.

Life has separated us from the wild heart of nature, that steady pulse which keeps us rooted and whole. As we succumb to the lure of artificial light, technology, and other accelerating changes that distract us, we lose our own circadian rhythms and the seasonal timekeepers that allow us to hear the still voice deep within that longs for reconnection, restoration, and renewal.

We invite you to walk with us and be transformed by traditions and rituals spun from the wheel of the year. We will unearth our spiritual wisdom, listening to the voice of the divine that dwells in the quiet depths of each of us. We will honor sacred selfishness as we pause and practice the ways cultures have celebrated the dance of the seasons. We will mingle our present circumstances with life sustaining, nurturing patterns that are ready to support us. While we will look at the entire calendar, our focus for this retreat will be wintering.

We will enjoy the views painted by Georgia O’Keefe, in a sacred valley with a rich, ancient, complex history. As the wheel of the year turns to winter, we will embrace the hush and fertile mystery of the season’s darkness. While the modern world rushes from the roar of the holidays into the clamor of new year resolutions, we will explore choices we can make to follow the path of our ancestors and mirror the plants and animals in winter—resting, dreaming, and gathering strength. We will explore these topics through mindful activities and discussions, connecting with the elements and our senses, engaging in creative arts such as poetry and music, practicing rituals, and examining scientific truths that tie back to ancestral wisdom. The knowledge we gain with the integration of rituals and tools will ground us moving forward.

Please click here for a brief overview and introduction from the Instructors, Supply List & Workshop Schedule.