White Sands After Sunset, 1996, photography, 15 x 18 in. / 38.1 x 45.72 cm.

White Sands After Sunset, Steven Swinehart, 1996, photography, 15 x 18 in. / 38.1 x 45.72 cm.

The gypsum dunes reflect the color of the sky, and the red sky after sunset turned the dunes and the playa between them into a rose-red composition. The circular pattern is caused by water trapped in the playa evaporating over time, leaving a series of shorelines as the pool shrank in size.