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Handmade Egg Ornaments

J. Brooke Patterson's Handmade Egg Ornaments

About the Eggs

Each piece is entirely handcrafted and hand painted by the artist using real duck or goose eggshells. Each egg is hardened with an elaborate process involving several coats of gesso primer, followed by layer upon layer of acrylic paint. The surface is finished with seven coats of clear gloss varnish. This complete process gives the ornament a rich, luminescent quality as well as strength and firmness. "Little worlds" are created inside egg dioramas, and collage of natural materials embellish the egg ornaments. All scenic elements are individually handmade and hand sculpted. Close attention is paid to every detail, and each egg has its own unique qualities. 

Each egg is part of a numbered yearly edition and is signed, dated, and copyrighted. It comes presented in a silk-lined gift box, along with a description and fancy ornament hook. 

About the Artist

J. Brooke Patterson is an artist currently living and working in Oakland, CA. She earned her B.A. degree in Art from UC Berkeley in 1993. Since 1992 she has owned the J. Brooke Wallpaper Studio, a business specializing in hand painted wall coverings, and after years of making these eggs for herself, friends, and family, she began selling them in 1996.

Artist's Statement 
I see the egg as an opportune medium in which to create little worlds that can enchant, delight, and amuse people. Its irregular shape and size, and its intimate nature, can draw people inwards. My challenge is to create something like miniature set designs to which others can bring their own experiences when looking into the world. This is why I often like to illustrate familiar stories from childhood, stories that often have meaning to many people. Some stories inspire me to try and capture a great image, others simply to appreciate and communicate some of the humor involved.

All of the elements inside these little worlds are handmade individually, so each egg has its own unique character, along with the unique shape that the egg itself brings to the piece. And also for this reason, each egg has to be framed individually, each piece of glass custom-cut. The seeming fragility of the eggshell also presents a wonderful challenge. I enjoy building layers of primer, paint, and varnish and watching a beautiful surface develop slowly. My childhood years of growing up on a boat, spending summers sanding and varnishing teak and mahogany gave me some of this appreciation. These many layers of painting not only create a luminescent surface but also give the eggshell strength and firmness.