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November 30, 2015

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Eggshell sculptor refuses to put up her ‘eggs-quisite’ artworks for sale

EDITOR’S note:

HANDICRAFT arts are slowly dying in the era of bustling mega-cities. People are too busy or too disinterested to keep alive the skills of their forebears. As part of this year’s Shanghai Citizens Art Festival, a competition was held to select 100 professional and amateur artisans who are “Top Talents in Craftsmanship.” This is the second in a series of profiles of some of the winners – people striving to keep old skills alive for future generations.

 When most people see eggs, they think meals. When Jin Fuzhen sees them, she thinks art.

Jin is a member of what might be called the “eggs-quisite” art genre. She sculpts and draws on eggshells as thin as 0.3 millimeters.

“Carving on an eggshell is like walking on a tightrope, every second of it,” she said.

Jin, 42, works in the office of a Japanese company. In her spare time, she turns eggshells into miniature art.

Her most recent work was a bas-relief sculpture of a pond of lotus flowers, done on a goose egg. She told Shanghai Daily that she spent almost 200 hours on the piece, and that doesn’t count an earlier attempt that ended with a cracked shell.

Jin became interested in eggshell sculpture two years ago when she found on the Internet some of the works of a Slovenian master and was awe-struck by the sheer beauty of such a daunting art.

“It’s so wondrous to lavish such delicacy on such a small egg that I decided to have a try myself,” she said.

Learning the genre took great patience and the development of highly honed skills.

It all starts by choosing the right egg, Jin said. She looks for a perfect shape with no speckles on the shell.

She then pokes a small hole in either end of the egg and empties the yolk and white with a syringe. The inside is then cleaned with cool water and left to dry for at least week.

“The most challenging part is to design the pattern for the shell because your canvas is spherical, not flat,” Jin said. “So you need to understand the elements of drawing or painting before you begin egg carving.”

She draws a design on the shell with pencil. Then the delicate sculpting begins.

“You have to be ever so careful because the slightest slip can ruin it all,” she said.

It usually takes her up to six hours a day for four to five days to complete a work of human figures or landscapes. Bas-relief work takes longer.

In the past two years, Jin has created more than 100 pieces of eggshell art. Several have won prizes in folk craft competitions.

Nature is a favorite theme for Jin. Roosters, cranes, eagles, horses and villages hidden among trees come alive on little egg spheres.

Some of her works are on display in the private museum of a friend. Others she gives away to friends.

“I haven’t sold any of my carved eggs for money because I’m reluctant to see my beloved works gone,” Jin said.

Fewer then 10 people in Shanghai are acknowledged eggshell sculptors and painters. Of those, only about four remain active because older artisans suffering from diminished eyesight are forced to relinquish their skills.

The art form is so intriguing that many people try their hand at it. Dabbling is one thing; becoming a master of the genre is quite another. That requires true dedication.

Jin said she once had two students who wanted to learn the art. They tried, got frustrated and gave up, she said.

“This work requires you to rest your hand every 10 or 20 minutes, and after two hours, your hand will ache,” she said. “Sometimes when I am eager to finish a work, I forget to take a rest, and my hand goes stiff.”

Handcrafted eggshell sculptures are available for sale online, costing only dozens of yuan. The prices undervalue the creative effort involved, said Jin.

“A truly acclaimed master can sell his eggshell art for up to 2,000 yuan (US$313),” she said. “I think a work of mine might be worth 500 yuan but would fetch less if I wanted to sell.”




 

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