Japanese Kintsugi with Eggshells
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Learn about the Japanese kintsugi of fixing cracks with gold, but this art form uses eggshells instead of pottery.
For centuries, chefs and culinary enthusiasts have prepared delicious dishes made with eggs. Whether it’s a savory soufflé or a simple omelet, the humble egg brings great delight to the table.
One wonders who first looked at the broken shards of those eggshells and decided to move them from the kitchen to the studio to form delicate works of art that speak volumes about creativity. There are no barriers to one’s imagination when conceiving designs for carvings, lacquer paintings, sculptures, jewelry, mosaics, and more.
Elisa Sheehan, a fine-art botanical painter and illustrator in Saratoga Springs, New York, pondered the question one day when she accidentally spilled a container of eggshells bound for the compost pile. Instead of immediately sweeping them up, she gazed at the different shapes scattered on the floor with curiosity.
One expressive medium that intrigues Elisa is kintsugi, the traditional Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery with lacquer made from tree sap to bond the break, followed by filling the cracks with liquid gold and other precious metals. Instead of abandoning a piece or concealing the break, artists celebrate the idea of highlighting the cracks. The word kintsugi literally means “join with gold.”
Kintsugi is a symbol of resilience, healing, and embracing one’s imperfections. It’s a lesson in life for discovering strength in one’s own brokenness. Like the wisdom of aging, kintsugi reminds us to embrace the willingness of acceptance, no matter how we change along the way.
“I’ve always loved this Japanese art form,” says Elisa, “It calls us to celebrate age, history, and the scars of life. I embrace this as a way in thinking about ourselves, others, and our relationships. It honors the inevitable imperfections of everything we see and might aspire to be, and represents the duality of fragility and strength, beauty and brokenness.” Cradling the broken shards in her hands, Elisa envisioned ways to bring them to life. Before reaching for her paint brush, she knew it was crucial to peel away the inner membrane that lines the shell. She does this by cracking the eggs in half and then soaking the halves in water. Then she gently separates the two layers. If she doesn’t do this, adhesives will stick to the membrane rather than the eggshell.
After soaking, the membrane will have the texture of wet tissue paper. It usually comes apart easily by pulling with one’s fingers or rubbing it with one’s thumb.
Soaking can take anywhere from an hour to overnight. The longer the soaking time, the easier the task. Some artists prefer to hold the eggshell under the cold tap of water while gently rolling it between their palms. Like anything, the more one does something, the more efficient one gets. Practice makes perfect!
Once the membrane is removed, it’s essential to allow the broken pieces to dry thoroughly. This is important because the remaining moisture in the eggshell can interfere with gluing, making the pieces difficult to adhere to a surface. Drying is also advised because wet shells can often warp or curl, and there’s the possibility of mold or mildew growth.
Many artists simply lay the shells on paper towels to dry naturally. For a faster drying time, they can be placed on a baking sheet in the oven set at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 10 minutes. Once dry, it’s time to let the imagination blossom.
Elisa paints each eggshell piece individually and then applies gold metal leaf to represent the repairs that are typically made to pottery by kintsugi artists. She then ponders imaginative ways to display them in her art, arranging each piece delicately in a frame or shadow box, using topnotch museum glass that’s nearly invisible and low-glare.
She sells both original art and fine art prints of her eggshell creations. The prints are photographed at the highest quality to an extremely fine detail and printed on luxuriously thick etching paper with archival inks. Each print is a limited edition of only 20.
Once those are sold, the print will be retired and never printed again. Each print is hand-signed and numbered.
An ongoing collection of exquisite installations of Elisa’s art grace the walls of galleries, homes, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, retirement communities, and other commercial establishments.
Like many artists, Elisa has expanded her horizons with fresh new ideas that spark creativity with inspiration by working with porcelain. While eggshells are sturdy and strong, especially when packed and shipped internationally, Elisa decided to venture onto something different. Without the limits of a frame, the porcelain shells can be affixed to painted wooden panels or directly to a client’s wall, taking into consideration scale, light, shadows, and drama.
She creates individual molds and casts them by hand, painstakingly firing and forming these organic eggshell-like sculptures and adding her signature splashes of color. Each design is created and installed by commission, which gives her an opportunity to discuss each client’s vision.
This creative journey reminds Elisa that like the fundamentals of kintsugi, life experiences are ever-changing. She could easily have swept those scattered eggshells on the kitchen floor and tossed them in the compost pile, but instead she saw potential in a mishap of the moment. When something breaks, it’s not the end. There’s new purpose and opportunities for originality.
Keeping up with the demand for her work, Elisa is especially grateful to neighbors in the area who routinely supply her with farm-fresh chicken eggs and broken shells. She marvels at the colors Mother Nature paints with, delicate shades of creamy white, blues, greens, brown, and speckled varieties. They blend beautifully with her palette of paints and gold.
When Elisa isn’t busy in her studio or designing a new installation, she enjoys homeschooling her two children, and tending to the garden and the family’s cashmere goats. When interviewing her for this article, we discovered a bit of serendipity. Elisa’s daughters participate in a wonderful 4-H program with cashmere goats at St. Mary’s on-the-Hill, a community of Catholic sisters in the nearby village of Greenwich. Years ago, we had the pleasure of writing an article for our magazine, Goat Journal, featuring Sister Mary Elizabeth, coordinator and instructor at the 100-acre farm. We asked if she still rounds up the goats each day by singing to them in the pasture. Indeed, she does. What a small world!
Inspiration comes to those with an open mind. Follow Elisa’s lead by embracing newfound ideas. Instead of fretting over a mishap or setback, look at things differently. There’s beauty in the broken!
For more information about Elisa’s eggshell artistry, follow her on Facebook and her website: Elisa Sheehan.
Cappy Tosetti lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her three rescue dogs that help her with Happy with Cappy Pet Sitting. She’s putting things in motion to someday crisscross the country in a vintage travel trailer visiting draft horse and goat farms. cappyt@att.net
Originally published in the August/ September 2025 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.
