By Jennifer Whittaker, Editor

Georgia artists Alan Rabon and Sara Muse aren’t the Easter Bunny, but when it comes to decorating eggs they can give him a run for his money

Sara Muse, of Perry, painted Georgia’s 2004 White House Easter Egg.

Both have been selected by the Georgia Egg Commission to decorate eggs representing the state for the White House Easter Egg Display coordinated by the American Egg Board (AEB). Rabon, of Lawrenceville, crafted Georgia’s 2005 Easter Egg, while Muse, of Perry, designed last year’s egg.

Each year during the Easter season, the White House Visitors Center displays decorated eggs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state affiliate of the AEB selects a state artist to design an egg to represent their state.

“This contest is a fun way for the egg industry to promote our product with the help of Georgia artists,” Jewell Hutto, Georgia Egg Commission program coordinator, said. “The diversity of designs that Georgia artists have created through the years has been amazing.”

A jeweler by trade, Rabon began carving eggs after attempting to carve sea shells. A drill he purchased to carve the shells came with a manual showing egg carvings. ”I abandoned sea shells,” Rabon says. “Eggs are so much easier and faster to carve.”

Alan Rabon uses a drill to create his egg sculpture.

For the past three years Rabon has carved designs in chicken, emu, ostrich and rhea eggs.

Rabon selected a large, brown chicken egg for carving his White House Easter egg depicting Georgia’s official state symbols. He carved live oaks on two sides of the egg; etched the Georgia state seal on one side and carved the outline of the state on another side, along with a Brown Thrasher, peach and Cherokee Rose.

“For me, carving eggs is a meditative process. You have all of your attention focused on the one spot you’re working on,” Rabon says. “Everything else seems to melt away.”

Before carving an egg, Rabon empties it of its contents, cleans and sanitizes the egg. He then either draws the design onto the egg surface or drills the design free-handed using a high-speed drill that rotates at a speed of 400,000 RPM’s. The drill is similar to the drills dentists use which he says works well since egg shells are pure calcium. He estimates that it takes him about one to two hours to carve a chicken egg, depending on the design. Designs carved on the ostrich, emu or rhea eggs can take days to complete. Rabon is a member of the International Egg Art Guild.

“The challenge for me is to carve as much of the egg away as I possibly can and still leave the egg intact,” Rabon says. “Having one of my eggs selected to be displayed at the White House is probably the ultimate honor I could receive.”

Georgia’s 2005 White House Easter Egg was carved by Alan Rabon of Lawrenceville. Rabon’s egg was on display at the White House Visitors Center from March 18- April 4.

Although Sara Muse has painted and taught art for almost 30 years, she had never used an egg as a canvas before being selected by the Georgia Egg Commission to create the 2004 Georgia Easter Egg.

“A friend suggested I submit a design, and because I like challenges I did,” Muse recalls with a laugh.

Muse says her paintings often come to her in dreams, and her design for her White House Egg was no exception.

“I dreamed about cutting a hole in the egg and painting Stone Mountain inside.”

Muse painted a Cherokee Rose, peach and honey bee on the outside of her egg and used a decoupage process to create Stone Mountain on the inside, just as she envisioned in her dream.

After breaking several eggs, Muse was inspired to coat the egg with gesso to harden the shell. “Then I was able to work with the egg and not worry about breaking it.”

The Georgia Egg Commission has participated in the national egg display since it began in 1994. Previous Georgia artists who have decorated eggs to represent the state include Barbara Jennings and Dee Morgan of Conyers; Deb Collins and Amber Gerdes of Hiawassee; Carole Kjellson of Cumming; Jodie Hobbs of Newnan; Susan Wilkinson of Lawrenceville; Susie Axton of Hartwell and Dana Putnam of Augusta.

Although Easter may be almost a year away, the Georgia Egg Commission is already looking for the 2006 Georgia Easter Egg. If you would like to submit your idea, do so by sending a black and white pencil sketch, not an egg, to 2006 White House Easter Egg Contest, Georgia Egg Commission; 16 Forest Parkway; Forest Park, GA 30297. The deadline for entries is World Egg Day, October 14, 2005. For more information about the contest e-mail the Commission at goodeggs@bellsouth.net or call (404) 363-7661.

Photos of the White House eggs from each state displayed this year may be viewed at www.whitehouse.gov/easter/2005/eggsbystate/index.html.

Samples of Alan Rabon’s work may be viewed at www.n-georgia.com/egg-sculptures.htm.