placuna plata o5

34”  x  34 ” . |. A V A I L A B L E | 2 0 1 8

This piece is composed of Placuna Placenta oyster shells which have been used for thousands of years in the Philippines as a glass substitute because of their durability and translucency. First, I burned the edges of the shells to reveal a delicate warm silver patina before cutting them in half. I then glued the halves into four-tiered two-winged units. Next, I glued these units into a circular, mandala-like grid pattern onto a 1/2” thick acrylic panel. I then gathered the flecks I had collected from cutting the shells, added gold dust, ground them up in a food processor, and then sprinkled them into a huge mixture of clear resin. I poured several layers of this resin onto the acrylic shell panel before epoxying the piece into a warm silver box frame. Each shell’s surface texture, organic color markings, burn lines, and metallic sheen are highlighted as they appear to float above the box base. These shells LOVE being next to natural window light or hung under a delicate spotlight!