Christmas of 2000 I discovered the world of "egging". An episode of Carol Duvall featured Thelma Wilber who made the most beautiful Christmas ornaments. At that moment I was hooked. I started searching the web to find anything I could that involved egging. It was slow going at first until I found the right queries to enter into the search engines. Gradually an entire world of little known artists revealed itself to me.

That first year I made Christmas ornaments for all my co-workers using duck eggs (but of course I didn't take pictures before I gave them away) and these are just two of the ornaments that I kept for myself. I always try to make ornaments personal ... for my boss I put a class picture of his child ... for a religious co-worker I did a nativity ... and for the cat lover I did a cat design ... you know the drill. *grin* They went over well ... some people said I should sell them.
When I graduated to goose eggs, I continued making Christmas ornaments ... still not quite sure enough of myself to try making eggs that involved hinges or any sort of carving. Again, everyone who received an egg at Christmas told me I should be selling them.

My confidence bolstered, I decided to try my hand at ostrich egg boxes. *yikes* It is now 2003 and I have FINALLY finished the two ostrich eggs I started in 2001. Are they perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I have a lot to learn? You betcha! *grin* But I will say that I learned a lot making these two eggs. Everything that could go wrong did, from the hinge on one seizing up and cracking the hinge off (dang super glue!) to mod podge that would not harden completely. I made the stand for the Jag egg using butter knife stands that I found in a mail order catalog and the jaguar face on the front was made using a polymer clay impression taken from a hub cap insert. The inside top was lined using Eggy Annie's faux pleating and the leaper (a little jag lingo there *grin*) is the trim used on the inside instrument panel of an XJ6.


Somewhere along with way I was lucky enough to stumble across a couple of email lists ... Eggart and Eggy Annie's. Both of these groups are invaluable to people interested in this wonderful art form. The answer to any question you may have can be found on these lists. If the answer cannot be found in the file sections, just ask and someone will be happy to help.

Through Eggart I learned about Gary LeMaster. Not only is Gary one of the premiere eggshell artists in the world, he publishes The Eggshell Sculptor, an incredible resource for anyone interested in "sculpting" or "carving" eggshells. Gary, himself, is a wonderful resource and is never too busy to personally answer questions, whether by phone or email.

As a leather carver, I felt that I just might be able to carve eggshells. What the heck? I had a basic understanding of the carving process. When I made the decision to try my hand at carving I had a million questions about the best high speed drill to buy. When I put the question to the list, without exception, I was told that the person to talk to was Gary LeMaster. I spoke to Gary and he gave me all the information I need to make an informed decision and I purchased the TurboCarver. One of its biggest advantages is that it NEVER needs to be lubricated. It is small and light weight ... and I love it.

Ok ... now that you know I love my TurboCarver I guess I have to put up a few pictures of carved eggs. I still have a LOT to learn, but practice makes perfect ... or at least it will make me better.

Finally, this is my entry into the 2003 Eggshell Sculptor Contest. This is my first attempt at carving and I really wasn't sure I should enter it. Sight unseen, Gary LeMaster encouraged me to enter. I am proud (not to mention THRILLED) to say that this egg took first place in the novice relief carving division! Thanks to all the judges .. and a special thanks to Gary for providing us with a forum to showcase our eggs!


The 2002 relief carving winner in this category (novice!) was Lisa Sensinger. This is her winning entry ... if I'd seen this egg before I entered mine, I might not have entered! What a beautiful job ... Alan and Dawn are a very lucky couple. Hey Lisa! John and I got married April 25, 2002 ... in case you are interested. *grin*


Lisa's 2004 entry in to the Experienced Filigree Carving category took first place. If you want to see this beautiful filigreed egg, call Gary LeMaster and order a copy of Volume 6, Issue 5 of the Eggshell Sculptor!


The following pictures and links are for a few of the many talented egg artists I have come across. I don't mind telling you that it was very difficult to pick just three from each collection! All images are displayed with the permission of the artist. Please be respectful and do not use the images without their permission.

As I mentioned earlier, Gary LeMaster is one of the premiere egg artists in the world and I am thrilled that he has given me permission to show his work here on my page. These are just three of his fabulous works of art. I LOVE the panda ... if I could own one of Gary's pieces, this is the one I would want. Since it may be a long time until I can have an original Gary LeMaster, I carved my own panda egg using the pattern Gary supplied in the Eggshell Sculptor and am thrilled with the results!


As you can see from the eggs on the left, Gary Gunn is an incredibly talented artist that carves portraits on emu eggs. You can blame ... err, I mean thank ... Mr. Gunn for my feable attempts at the portraits pictured above. *grin*


Tina Munford is an EXTREMELY talented artist who also just happens to be the owner of the Eggart list. There seems to be no end to this lady's talents. The first egg took 1st Place and Best of Show in the 2002 Annual Eggshell Sculptor Carving Contest.



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