Sunburned GSP #419 (Arctic Circle Alaska)

Artist Chris McCaw American, born 1971

Date2010

MediumGelatin-silver paper negative, unique

Dimensions10 x 8 in. (25.4 x 20.3 cm)
Frame: 15 1/4 x 13 1/4 in. (38.7 x 33.7 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineGift of Allen G. Thomas Jr. in honor of Lawrence J. Wheeler

Object number2014.14.41

On View

Not on view

Label TextAt first discovered by accident, Chris McCaw has now perfected the unusual method that he uses to make the images of his Sunburned series. With a self-built camera and a high resolution lens normally used for military purposes, McCaw leaves vintage photo paper in open air exposure for up to 24 hours. Ultimately the results provide an image in reverse with physical burn marks and holes that reveal the sun’s progression during exposure time. The telling contextual details of the many places McCaw travels to are blurred in this unique solarized process. The beauty of McCaw’s images lies in their ability to record the movement of light in a specific location as well as make tangible to viewers the incomprehensible vastness of time.

[L. Dougherty, 2014]ProvenanceCreated Alaska, 2010; collection of the artist; sold to Allen G. Thomas Jr., Wilson, NC, 2011; given to NCMA, 2014.
Published ReferencesKatherine Ware and Allie Haeusslein, Chris McCaw: Sunburn (Richmond: Candela Books Gallery, 2012).
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Private Eye: Allen G. Thomas Jr. Photography Collection," September 13, 2014–March 22, 2015.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Reflections on Light: Works from the NCMA Collection,” [Part 1] September 9, 2020–April 4, 2021.

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