Extraordinary Egg Art at the Dovetail Gallery

EGG HARBOR, WISCONSIN, USA – You’ll never look at eggs the same way again after visiting the Dovetail Gallery, Studio and Museum in (where else?) Egg Harbor, Wisconsin.

The town’s unusual name originally drew artist Kathleen Mand Beck to locate her studio with bucolic view of aforementioned harbor here. For what better locale could there be for an artist whose primary medium is eggs? Kathleen carves the delicate hollowed shells of eggs – all kinds of eggs from tiny quail to huge ostrich and everything into between – into incredible works of art.

A visit to her studio below Dovetail’s main gallery reveals boxes of nearly every conceivable variety of eggs, all perfectly cleaned, sterilized, hollowed and ready for Kathleen’s gentle touch with a dental drill. The tool’s high speed and delicate bits allow her to carve and transform the eggshells into truly wondrous and magical objects.

Giving a decorated egg as a gift is an ancient tradition. The art of decorating eggs is one of the oldest documented art forms. Kathleen makes it easy for modern gift givers to continue the practice by offering custom carved egg art for any occasion. Commissioning a basic carved egg from Kathleen starts at a mere $45.00 (as of this writing in 2009), and you’d be hard pressed to find a more unique gift.

Kathleen’s spectacular carved eggs are plenty interesting on their own to merit a stop at Dovetail, but there’s actually much more to see at this small, packed gallery and egg museum. Highlights include an authentic gold and cloisonné enameled Fabergé egg commissioned by Tsar Alexander III and Nichols II.

Another must see during a stop at the gallery is one of the most extensive collections of wild bird eggs on public display anywhere – over 100 eggs from 25 different species.

And if you’re brave enough to bring your kids into a shop filled with fragile eggs, they will able to wonder at the sight of an actual 70 million year old Hypselosaurus dinosaur egg! Accompanying CAT scans authenticate the egg’s age and displays show how the developing dinosaur grew within his temporary eggshell home.

In addition to egg art, the gallery, housed in an 1873 hand-hewn dovetail log home, also features fine art paintings, clay, tiles, jewelry, garden art, and glass. Kathleen’s husband Tom also designs a wonderful collection of copper garden sprinklers that are practical as well as artistic sculptures in motion.

Click here for more details of fun things to do, see, and eat in Door County, Wisconsin.

Practicalities

The Dovetail Gallery, Studio and Egg Museum is located at 7901 State Highway 42 in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin 54209. Phone 920-868-3987 or visit their website at www.DovetailGallery.com.

For trip planning, contact the Door County Visitor’s Bureau at 1015 Green Bay Rd. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 call 800-52-RELAX or 920-743-4456 or click to www.DoorCounty.com.

Become an Artist for a Day at Wisconsin's Hands-On Art Studio

FISH CREEK, WISCONSIN, USA – Have you ever dreamed of being an artist? Perhaps welding pieces of metal into a fabulous sculpture, or fusing glass pieces into something amazing, or throwing clay on a pottery wheel and forming it into a ceramic work of art?

But how can an ordinary person, who may have the desire, but not the skills or the necessary (and often expensive) equipment, get the chance to even try these highly specialized artistic endeavors? By visiting the Hands On Art Studio in Door County, Wisconsin.

There are no scheduled classes here. You don’t need a reservation. You can just walk in, pay a low studio fee, find the medium you want to work in and start creating. Don’t have the slightest idea what you’re doing? No problem. Hands On Art studio’s experienced staff are there to guide you.

Guests can choose from a huge variety of art projects including fused glass, metal sculpture, mosaics, and a wide selection of wood, metal and ceramic pieces to paint. All the tools and supplies you’ll need are right there at your fingertips. Should your masterpiece need to be fired in the kiln or grouted, it will be available for pick up the next day.

The brainchild of owner and potter and multimedia artist Cy Turnbladh, the studio is like no place else you’ve ever been. Set on a scenic farm, Hands On encompasses several buildings, including a huge barn turned into art space for making ceramics, painting, mosaics and more, a metal studio, glass studio, and an enormous silo – there’s over 8000 square feet of specialized studio space in all!

The 100 year old silo serves as a canvas for painted elements, metal accents – and the focus – a towering mosaic of the hand painted tiles. Eventually the entire silo will be covered in the colorful hand made tiles - a communal art effort that benefits homeless animals. Guests purchase the tile and use the studio’s supplies to paint and decorate it – the entire $3.00 cost of the purchase price is donated to the Door County Humane Society.

It easy to see that Turnbladh, a regular humane society contributor, is an avid animal lover -- he shares his property with a menagerie of 45 animals that includes cats, dogs, horses, goats, chickens, ducks, alpacas and llamas.

If you visit June through August, the studio runs special art camps for kids, which can give parents time to explore some of Door County’s other attractions (wineries anyone?). Wednesday nights are family nights. Friday nights they’re open for all the studio’s regular attractions, but for grown ups only. You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique date anywhere, and they even offer drinks, snacks and live music June through October and special event evenings in winter.

Otherwise, everyone can visit anytime from 10AM to 6PM, year round, rain or shine. No matter what their ages or interests, everyone in the family can create art, have a great time here, and go home with the ultimate personal vacation souvenirs ever. With so many mediums to choose from – ceramics, wood, glass, metal, and more, you may even become a regular. The studio does receive lots of repeat business, and there’s no greater testimony to the quality of a travel attraction than that.

Click here for our report of more details of fun things to do, see, and eat in Door County, Wisconsin.

Practicalities

The Hands On Art Studio is located 1 3/4 miles from Highway 42 at 3655 Peninsula Players Rd. in Fish Creek, WI 54212. Call 920-868-9311 or click to www.HandsOnArtStudio.com.

For trip planning, contact the Door County Visitor’s Bureau at 1015 Green Bay Rd. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 call 800-52-RELAX or 920-743-4456 or click to www.DoorCounty.com.

(Photos by Jon Jarosh.)