One of the “Original" 25” images placed on view at the 2011 Grand Opening of the Bobby Wheat Gallery

A land of vast extremes, Death Valley is the hottest and driest place on the planet. A location within the park just a few miles from these dunes boasts the highest temperature ever recorded on earth at 134 degrees. Also the lowest point in North America, this valley drops to 288 feet below sea level yet is surrounded by steep mountain ranges soaring to 11,000 feet. The low elevation and steep surroundings cause hot air to become trapped in the valley sending summer temperatures well into the hundreds for months at a time. 2001 recorded 154 days in a row over 100 degrees. Taken about 3 miles out on the Mesquite Dunes, this was another scene that reached out and grabbed me as soon as I saw it. I spent the afternoon and evening enjoying a rare cloudy day out on the sand, and just before vanishing behind the mountains, the sun peeked through the clouds highlighting the beautiful textures in the sand and the dark storm clouds above the horizon. These dunes are special in that they are a landscape always changing. Despite having marked this location via GPS at the time this image was photographed, I’ve been back several times to find it unrecognizable.

Location | Mojave Desert

Medium and Materials | Chromogenic Print from Film on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, Face-Mounted with 2 layers of UV protection in the Bobby Wheat Gallery’s Signature ANTIGLARE Presentation.

Camera and Film Used | Pentax 67 Medium Format Camera with Fuji Velvia Film

Edition Size | Edition of 25 + 3 Artist’s Proofs for a Total of 28 Enlargements Regardless of Size (Your Edition Number will be assigned by the Bobby Wheat Gallery After Checkout)