When looking at one of Karin Swilden's decorative hand-carved eggs, you would swear that you were looking at intricately carved wood or bronze. But they are actually created from high-fired hollow clay. Her exquisite eggs are about 12 to 18 inches long and quite impressive. Although she started as a painter, Karin found a need to explore the third dimension with her art. She bought some wood and carved for a few years, but once she discovered clay she was hooked--and has been creating clay sculptures ever since. Her other pieces are women, horses and fantamyth, a combination of fantasy and mythology.
The process of creating a sculptured egg begins with a slice of clay rolled out into a 1/4-inch slab using a pastry roller. She rolls out two or three slabs ad then hand builds a bowl. Once that bowl is about 5 inches high, she crumples newspaper into small balls and sprays them with water. She uses these balls to fill the bowl and then continues building up the walls of the bowl, adding more paper balls as she goes along. Then, she forms the walls into an egg shape using a paddle, a piece of wood and a knife. She closes the egg and lets it dry for at least a day. Then she begins carving with a knife and wooden clay tool. Since there is newspaper inside the egg, there is enough resistance that the carved pieces cannot fall into the egg. Once the carved egg has dried for two weeks, it is bisque fired. This bisque firing will burn out all of the newspaper as well. Once fired, it is stained with iron oxide and put back in the kiln for a second firing. Finally, it is sanded with sandpaper and then waxed. Karin says that the egg symbolizes the beginning, as with all life. From there flows energy and form. That says it all.
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