Dimitris Mytaras,  love and passion for seashells is well
known here in Greece, as is his paintings.

Mr Mytaras has studied painting at the school of fine arts in Athens and set design at the Ecole des Art decoratifs in Paris.
he has held exhibitions in many capital cities around the world and taken part in almost all the important biennale exhibitions.

the paintings AND TEXT below are taken from the book
FORTY GREEK SHELLS WHICH INCLUDES THE CD ( SOUND OF THE DEEP).

The contents of this page may not be taken or
reproduced in any way whatever



  SHELL PAINTINGS FROM DIMITRI MYTARA

ACANTHOCARDIA ECHINATA



Murex brandaris
 Known here in Greece as the thorny purple.
In early June, guided it seems by the same
message relayed through the water, they all journey to an appointed spot. There they crowd together to mate and lay their eggs in almost transparent capsules of jelly.

MUREX BRANDARIS

 

EPITONIUM SCALARE
 Epitonium
A skillfull sculptor of the sea. Binding together minute crystals of calcium in the sea water, to create a white material like porcelain and then using it to make it's shell.


CASSIS GRANULATUM

Cassis granulatum
The bonnet shell's favourite plate is fresh sea urchin. Finding its
prey, it ejects a substance which gradually paralyses the sea
urchin's prickles. Allowing it to extend it's proboscisin among
them and then sucking out the food.


CYP.LURIDA & PECTEN
Cypraea lurida
 Two wide black wings , thin as membranes emerge
from the shell covering it completly. Thus hiding it's
beauty from preditors, who might think that anything
so shiney must also be good to eat.

.

CONUS MEDITERRANEUS
 Conus mediterraneus
This spear fisher of the mediterranean sea, will try to swallow its catch whole,
opening its proboscis much wider than anyone could suspect. It impales it's
poisones arrow into the unsuspecting victum and other larger species can even
kill a man, like Conus geographus located in a stretch of sea from Australia to
South Africa.




 

MITRA ZONATA
Mitra zonata

Found in depths that can be
dangerous to divers.

 HERMIT CRAB
The hermit crab

An arthropod whose bilogical classification is some where between the crabs and crayfish. While the upper parts of their body is equipped with strong armour and powerful claws, it seems that nature overlooked the rear part. As soon as the pagurus hatches out it digs a trench in the sand in which it hides its unprotected abdomen, leaving from time to time to quickly scuttle across the sea floor, looking for an empty shell that a misfallen mollusc left behind.

 

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