A Chicken and Egg situation

 One Easter, about 5 years ago my search for Easter crafts for my Sunday school class led me on an amazing journey  into egg land ; and I couldn't wait to start my own  project inspired by the array of designs on display, and taking the opportunity to  incorporate the marbling and inlay techniques I has been experimenting with that year. 
Just google Decorated Eggs and have a look at the wonderful images
They also inspire some of the most diverse and creative decorating techniques found. Whether its  African (Ostrich eggs),   Eastern European (Pysanka painted eggs) or Western European (Faberge eggs)  there's an egg out there for you !
.
Decorated Ostrich Egg




Faberge Decorated Egg
Pysanka Decorated Eggs

Eggs are symbolic of so many things - birth, new beginnings, regeneration and nurture. So much folklore  and so many traditions are wrapped around this vehicle of recreation, that I've always held a fascination for these delicately decorated items, and a marble egg  can feel so organic and soothing to the touch. 

I started my marbled inlay egg  about 5 years ago (and no, it did not take me 5 years to complete) , at some point it went onto my 'work in progress' pile !
I used a blown chicken egg. The symbols of a leaf and hearts were chosen  for love, abundance and growth. The colours were chosen for  a vivid effect  -  I chose metallic clay, which when incorporated with the colours  gave it depth;  red for the passion , blue for rebirth, purple for spirituality. I hope you enjoy the results !


 My marbled inlay egg (by Bella,  Lovehandcrafts)

My marbled inlay egg (by Bella, Lovehandcrafts)

by I. Lisk   First Published 2nd September 2011 on craftshowcase.co.uk/blogger.com ©

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Krio Heritage - Impressions

Image
Aberdeen,  Freetown,  Sierra Leone.  ©️ I. LISK I came across my work today while organizing my digital space. In July 2017, I took part in a writing workshop. It was part of the ‘Africa Writes’ series , this one on  Krio Heritage, organized by the British Library.   We examined artifacts, books and writings on Krio culture and settlement . We also brought in some items from our own personal collections ;  and I wrote the following explorative piece - a montage of impressions. In my mind it is unfinished; my efforts resulted in 3 vignettes, and each could be expanded into stories or poems.  As an exercise, it was adequate for the purpose of developing thoughts and ideas, which was part of the remit.  I’m told that whatever it ends up being – even unchanged, it was a good start. We took turns to read our thoughts to the small but encouraging audience made up of  workshop participants and interested guests – it was the...
Read more

The Tree of Life

Image
A s I delved deeper into the craft of wire wrapping, I've noticed a recurring pattern - the variations are a diverse and complex metaphorical representation of the 'Tree of Life'. The lush, full and bountiful tree, is ubiquitous to many spiritual movements; for instance Eastern and Mediterranean myths and religions; in Christianity, appearing in the books of Genesis and Revelations; in Judaism in the Torah, and in the symbolism of Kabbalah. The Tree of Life is also represented in Hinduism, Islam; and Persian mythology, where I've found some of the most beautiful and colourful depictions in art and craft form - for example carpets and hand painted scrolls. As art gets its inspiration from...and imitates life, so the beautiful wire wrapped pendants and jewellery that I've seen by many modern wire crafters on my online travels. The sometimes bejeweled branches and leaves, at times embellished with an oval stone to represent the moon; rise from many wire roots, t...
Read more

More bountiful Tree of Life !

Image
   Another variation on the Tree of Life using  green Malachite chips and a swarovski teardrop wrapped with gold fill wire. I love this ! Also see my previous blog  https://www.i-love-handcrafts.com/2018/07/the-tree-of-life.html Work in Progress !
Read more