Trial Pattern: Sunset [working proof 1]
2001
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
soft ground etching in orange and red with colored pencil additions on wove Somerset paper [working proof 1]
Dimensions
plate: 45.4 × 36.3 cm (17 7/8 × 14 5/16 in.) sheet: 58.1 × 47 cm (22 7/8 × 18 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Kathan Brown
Accession Number
2024.132.575
Art Historical Context
Gay Outlaw's *Trial Pattern: Sunset [working proof1]* (2001) invites visitors into the experimental heart of contemporary printmaking. This soft ground etching, rendered in vivid orange and red tones with delicate colored pencil additions on luxurious wove Somerset paper, the artist's playful exploration of pattern and color. Measuring 45.4 × 36.3 cm on the plate the working proof reveals Outlaw's process—soft ground etching allows textures from everyday objects to imprint onto the metal plate, creating organic, sunset-like abstractions that evoke natural phenomena through geometric abstractio...