Shell

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What started as a dare from his twin sister (to carve an egg shell) has now become an identity. The Eggman, Frank Casciani, wants your eggs - unfertilized and sterile, from finches to ostriches (ladies you can keep your ovaries). That makes him different than most people. We crack them and toss the shells aside for the omelet we can create; Frank Casciani turns them into beautiful pieces of kaleidoscopic art that have garnered him International fame.



His studio in Balboa Park's Spanish Village is shared by several other egg artists and jewelers, although he is one of only three, that he knows who make kalidescopes with the shells. The studio is jam packed with beautiful eggs that are carved, painted, bejeweled (Swarovski crystals only). A single painted Egg can take up to 10 weeks to build, and have as much as many as 14 layers of paint. Casciani use automobile paints and glitters in his process. The eggs themselves come from various sources and donors. Your normal super market extra large eggs, however, will be politely declined. The Finch eggs come from a 4-year-old boy whose family raises Finches. He brings them in regularly on a large flat egg carton and earns a buck a piece for them.



To be honest, I never thought a shell could look so good and that they could be decorated with more than just food coloring and vinegar. The art is indeed inspiring and beautiful. When in Spanish Village I recommend stopping by Shells In Design for an omelet...I mean "Awe-umm-letting".