Michael Aram Furniture is handcrafted. with no two pieces ever alike. Each piece in this collection undergoes a series of casting. filing. welding and oxidation techniques. The finish is a result of a specialized patination process. Please note that the variations in texture and color are inherent to the handmade process and enhance the beauty of this piece. Every piece is truly a work of art. The Michael Aram Vincent Collection celebrates the sunflower. Symbolic of hope and optimism. it is a flower that is ordinarily represented with bright yellows in sweetly romanticized renditions. In Michael's interpretation. he expresses a less conventional view of the flower. Inspired by the more earnest and frenetic spirit of Vincent Van Gogh's legendary paintings. Michael chose to embody the contorted. almost threatening beauty of the bloom as it transitions through each stage of its existence. "The structure of the sunflower is complex. with its sharp petals and twisted sepals surrounding its geometrically patterned core. I grew sunflowers in my garden last summer and watched the plant from seedling to spent flower. Ironically. the blooms faced my neighbor's yard as they followed the sun. so I found myself observing the backs of the flowers nearly as much as the blossoms. The process inspired me to consider the darker side of the flower. very much in the spirit of Van Gogh's versions where he depicted the sunflower's tortured beauty and perpetual reach for hope."