Sylvia Iskander
"The Blue Nile"
Pottery
5" x 3.5" x 18"
Courtesy of the artist
Estimated value: $900
Starting bid: $500

Sylvia Iskander’s artistic repertoire includes both painting and hand-built ceramics. Her inspiration comes from the mountains and dunes of Egypt’s western desert. Their strong forms and jagged outlines are mirrored in her ceramics. The pieces are evocative of both landscape and the human form. They are organic and sensual -- powerful yet delicate. The human form as it relates to nature and fertility also inspire her in her work.

She uses a technique which makes use of stoneware with a thin layer of porcelain brushed on it. She stretches the clay to obtain the intricate surface full of cracks and stretch marks, then she forms her pieces. Each piece is unique, taking on a life of its own. After the piece is bisqued, she applies glazes, oxides and stains to attain the final color effects.

Sylvia was born in Cairo, Egypt to a long line of artists in her family. She holds a degree in civil engineering from Cairo University. She then moved from the drawing board to the wheel and the hand building of clay.