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.