"Membracis Shinx" is a one of a kind sculptural art piece created by me, Dine Simon. This is a one of a kind art vase that stands 21" tall so it is pretty substantial in size. I could not be happier with the way the colors and glaze came out, it is definitely a statement piece. I spend a lot of time research insects, I find their appearance and behavior intersting. I came across treehoppers and thought their camouflage was amazing, they are so stinking in color. I knew I wanted to make these amazing insects the focal point of this vase but I still wanted to give it an alien or otherworldly appearance with textural cutouts and ornamental details. Subconsciously I think a scene from the movie "The Neverending Story" of a huge shinx gate insired be because the hug beautiful insects remind me of sphinxes. The zipper detail is catapillar feet. Please read my a brief art's statement on these works following this description of it's making. I first created a vase on the potter's wheel, I then made several modifications to it. I made the cut outs and added a textural elements behind them. This vase is a sculptural piece but is interior is glazed. Everything was created from hand and was incredibly time consuming to make has has taken me years of experience to hone my skill to this level.

I have about 20 year experience in ceramics. I have my MFA and for the past several years have made functional art pottery and art sinks. It has taken me many years to hone my skills in the field of ceramics and develop a set and color pallet of unique glazes (please read following paragraph if you are interested in learning about this type of glazing). When I was in graduate school I focused on ceramic sculpture. Even then, about 11 years ago, I was influenced by the patterns and details of the natural world. While these new works are quite a bit different from the works I did in graduate school it surprises me that there are similarities and I believe these are stronger more mature works then I did years back. Aside from the obvious recognizable images of insect and animal world that are referenced in these works I am also influenced by historical fashion and ornament (like crowns) and my love of art nouveau. Through repetition, symmetry and fine detail my main hope and goal in these works is that at first glance or from a distance it reads as something botanical, regal or even other worldly. On closer look I hope the audience is surprised and fascinated by all the special details, especially the ones from the natural work. My desire is to have someone get up close and say "wow, those are actually bugs!"

Crystalline glazing ceramics is a very involved process. The flower like appearance of the glaze is actually zinc crystals that grow in the glaze during a slow controlled cooling after the peak temperature is reached. The glaze is very fluid and tends to run of the pot so a catcher is also thrown and fired under the piece to catch the run off glaze. The catcher is then separated and the bottom is ground down if there are any sharp edges or uneven glaze pools. Since the process is so involved there is a lot that can go wrong, so each successful piece is precious and completely unique.

All of my crystalline glazed pieces are dishwasher safe and non toxic.

Once purchased I will find the safest way to ship to make sure this special piece reaches you safely, it will be insured.