Eggs-Quisite Art(a)|蛋艺高超

by Rebecca A. Fratzke

When Mitzi Perdue discovered her love for egg art, she rocketed to a whole new level of fame.

Decorating eggs has evolved into more than just something to do to celebrate Easter each spring. It has become a recognized art form that actually dates back hundreds of years. With each artist, egg decorating has taken on new shapes and been pushed to new heights. Mitzi Perdue is the perfect example of a modern egg artist who has taken her hobby to extremes. Not only are her eggs intricately carved and decorated, but they are also fashioned with gold, gemstones, and other high-end bedazzlements.

Known as the Egg Lady, Perdue started decorating eggs while forced to stay in bed after a car accident in 1993 injured her back. She began with learning to paint, and then after a friend gave her an elaborately decorated egg as an anniversary present, she was inspired to do her art on eggs. Choosing chicken eggs was not an unusual decision for Mitzi because her husband was a famous chicken farmer. Over time, Perdue advanced her skills and went from chicken eggs to goose eggs and then finally to ostrich eggs. The thicker shell and largeness of the ostrich egg proved to be the perfect base for crafting a multitude of designs.

The first step in carving and decorating eggs is to saw off their tops using a dentist's drill, a small but delicate tool. The egg is then cleaned and dried in preparation for its resin coating. Once the process is completed, the egg is ready to be transformed into a unique work of art. According to Perdue, learning to use the drill and finding the most suitable resin took a lot of trial and error as well as the accidental destruction of many expensive eggs.

蛋艺高超

米琪‧博杜发掘自己对蛋艺的热爱，这也让她声名大噪。

　　装饰蛋已经演变成不只是每年春天复活节的庆祝活动了。它已成为受到认可的艺术形式，而这种艺术其实可回溯至数百年前。在每位艺术家手下，蛋类装饰呈现新的面貌，到达新的境界。米琪‧博杜就是绝佳的例子，她是将嗜好发展到极致的现代装饰蛋艺术家。她的蛋不仅精雕装饰，还用黄金、宝石和其他炫目的高档品来制作。

　　人称『蛋夫人』的博杜在 1993 年因车祸伤到背部，被迫卧病在床，因而开始从事蛋类装饰。她一开始是学画画，然后 1 位朋友送给她 1 个装饰精美的蛋作为周年纪念礼物，她从此得到启发，从事装饰蛋艺术。由于她的丈夫是著名鸡农，所以决定选择鸡蛋作为装饰对象对米琪来说再自然不过了。随着时间过去，博杜的技术提升，从鸡蛋做到鹅蛋，最后做到了驼鸟蛋。驼鸟蛋壳较厚、体积也较大，证实是拿来制作许多精心设计品的绝佳基底。

　　精雕装饰蛋的第 1 个步骤，是用牙医师的钻子这个小而精密的工具把蛋顶锯开。接着把蛋洗净、干燥，准备涂上树脂。程序完成后，就可以准备把蛋变成独特的艺术品。根据博杜表示，她反复试验且不小心毁了很多昂贵的蛋，才学会用钻子，并找到最适合的树脂。