Ode to a Desmid - Pewter Desmid artwork

My latest pewter artwork was inspired by a macro photo of a microscopic desmid.

I am fascinated by microscopic cells and the unseen world!

What intrigued me about Desmidiales, is that they are unicellular plant cells with fused cells that condense into an orb-like, sculpted structure.

When I first saw a picture of one (imaged with a confocal microscope at 400x magnification), I was blown away by the detail and design of this stunning organism!

Such detailed design in a single cell organism that can't be seen with the naked eye...

Even tough we can't see desmid cells, they play an important role in nature as algae helps regulate water quality in wetlands.

Desmids are microscopic, single cell green algae, found in fresh water worldwide.

There are about 5000 different species and they are characterized by their extensive variation in cell shape.

Desmids are green algae, which most botanists consider to be the earliest-evolved plants.

One of the ways that we can tell they are closely related to plants is they share the same photosynthetic pigments -- chlorophylls a and b -- and so have the same familiar green glow.

Like other plants, they also build cell walls made of cellulose and store starch and chlorophyll inside double membrane-bound chloroplasts.

For more info, read this fascinating article https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/wonderful-things-desmids-microscopic-plants-of-unusual-beauty/

Learn more

I mounted the finished desmid onto a black round MDF frame and covered the design with clear resin for lifelong protection. The frame size is 30 x 30cm in diamter.

Herewith a few design ideas for incorporating this metal art piece into your interior decor.