Wooden Eggs Are This Artist's Canvas

Wooden Eggs Are This Artist s Canvas FARM HOME Miscellaneous Alan Traynor paints pets horses barns and portraits from family photos on wooden eggs Sealed with 15 layers of polyurethane the finished paintings appear to be encased in glass The Orlando Fla artist has rightfully earned the name “The Egg Man” after painting eggs for more than 22 years He expects to have painted more than 50 000 eggs by the end of 2014 He got started after breaking 2 real eggs he attempted to paint for an egg-collecting friend for Easter in 1991 Someone suggested painting on wooden eggs which are available in craft shops and through national suppliers They worked out so well he painted a few extra eggs for women at work Traynor says he enjoys painting barns covered bridges farmhouses and rural scenes Because of the process eggs take about three weeks to complete Traynor drives a nail at the bottom of the egg so he can turn it while painting When the artwork is done he dips it in polyurethane and places it in a rack that holds 300 eggs Each egg is dipped every 4 hrs for a total of 15 coats It’s a challenge to convince people that they’re wooden and not delicate glass Traynor says Most of Traynor’s eggs are in the $20 to $50 range with prices based on detail Detailed pictures and custom orders sell for more Floral designs are the easiest Buildings pets and faces are more challenging to get the right perspective on the oval shape Eggs come with a wood egg stand information card and a gift box he designed About 15 percent of Traynor’s work is custom based on photos He sends photos of the completed egg to the customer to make sure they are satisfied before shipping it Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Alan Traynor The Egg Man ph 407 352-3654; EggManArt@earthlink net; www EggManArt com

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