Texas Egger Turns Emu Eggs into Works of Art Written by Myra Charleston
Egger
Beverly Gaus is one busy lady. An active member of the International
Egg Art Guild, The Texas Guild of Eggshell Artists, Eggshell Artists of North
Texas(where she is Treasurer)and theBrewster Society
(for designers and collectors of kaleidoscopes), she designs "Eggscope
kits", teaches classes and still finds time to compete! Successfully
I might add. She has won 5 blue ribbons for first place and 3 red
ribbons for second place at the Dallas Egg Show since 1990.
Beverly uses real
eggs, Czechoslovakian glass beads and Austrian crystal to create her version of
an art form that originated in Czarist Russia. Since our zine is devoted to emu,
we are focusing on Beverly's emu egg creations in this article.
However, she does equally beautiful work utilizing Ostrich, rhea, goose, duck,
guinea, turkey, partridge, finch, parakeet, dove, pigeon, swan, chuker, and
three different kinds of quail eggs. The length of time it takes to
complete an egg depends on what you do to it. "I can do a simple
egg that is not beaded in one day. It would take at least a whole
weekend of steady work to bead a complete Emu egg. This can even
take longer if you do a special bead pattern." When doing a hinged egg,
Beverly tells us that the first step is always to mark the egg in sections so
you know the middle and the exact top and bottom so your cut lines will be
straight and your pattern will be equal. "I always make the top a
little smaller then the bottom so the egg will not be top heavy. There are
several good 'tools' to mark an egg in these sections. For an emu egg I use a
silver quilters pencil. The lines will wash off but will show up for marking and
cutting."
When
Beverly decides where the egg needs to be cut for her pattern she marks the
center back and center front. "There are also several good tools to cut
eggs. They range from about $55.00 for a tool that will attach to your home
vacuum cleaner and runs at 100,000 rpm, on up to over a $1,000 for a air tool
like your dentist uses. For simple cuts the $55.00 is just as good as the $1,000
one. A high rpm is the most importation thing a dremel is a low rpm and can be
used but not as good for some things." Beverly tells us
there is a trick to cutting the hinge. First you must 'rough up' the egg
and the hinge where it will be glued. Then cut a small section of the lid
in the area that the hinge will be."Do not cut all the way around the
lid yet. Glue the hinge in place using 5 minute epoxy. After the epoxy has set,
cut the rest of the way around the lid so the egg will open. Then it can be
decorated and lined."
An
emu egg is about the same to cut as any other egg despite it's rough
nature. The high rpm makes the cutting a very smooth even cut so the rough
texture does not effect the cutting. "The emu is a good strong egg to
work on. The emu egg is also one of the only eggs that is left natural allot and
used for its natural beauty."
Beverly has been
teaching the craft for 6 years now. Classes are usually at least 3
hours when she goes out to teach to a group, small classes may be only 1 1/2
hours. A kit is used and everyone makes the same thing, or nearly the same
thing. The cost can be as low as $12.00. Classes at the studio start at
$5.00 plus supplies. In addition to teaching at her studio in Lewisville,
TX, and several places around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, she teaches at egg
shows in CA, LA, WA. This year she will also be going to Australia
to teach. For more information on classes or purchasing one of her lovely
creations, she may be contacted at:
Kaleidoscopes EGGsetera Beverly Gaus P. O. Box 294422 Lewisville, TX 75029-4422 Web page: http://www.eggscope.com E-mail: beverly@eggscope.com Phone: (888) ASK-EGGS or (888) 275-3447 Phone: (972) 221-1419 Fax: (972) 436-0368
Emu's Zine does not diagnose, prescribe or dispense
medical advice. We report and attempt to educate the public about
the possible health benefits derived through the use of emu oil based
products and consumption of low cholesterol, low fat emu meat.
This site contains personal testimonies and professional observations.
We encourage people to contact their family physicians regarding any
health problems they may have for proper diagnosis and treatment.
