Red Dragonfly

'I've been fascinated with dragonflies ever since I was little. I loved watching them hover,' says Felix Carballo about the inspiration for this ocarina vessel flute. The Nicaraguan artisan crafts the ceramic ocarina by hand, detailing the dragonfly's wings with a bicycle spoke and the eyes with a fine paint brush. Carballo prepares the different colors by pulverizing stones and using a brush to splash the color, successfully achieving an aged effect. This ocarina features three tonal perforations on the body, plus the mouth piece.

Ocarinas are one of the oldest musical instruments on the planet. Originally designed like a vessel with up to 13 perforations, ocarinas are now crafted in a variety of styles. In Mesoamerica, ocarinas usually take the form of a bird.