J. Brooke Patterson

Inside the space provided by real eggshells, I create dioramas, using a variety of materials and methods. Painting media include oils, acrylic, watercolor, and ink. The miniature sculptural figures are mostly made using clays and resins, and these are subsequently altered in some way, with painting or embellishment, for example, to create the appropriate form and texture. Papers and fabrics are used, as well as wood and metal. I also include natural and found materials, and in my hunt for something with just the right texture, shape, or color, I will find use for such things as dryer lint or spice seeds. My garden is also a very rich resource, where I can gather dried up bits of twig and brush and transform them in some way. The eggshells are strengthened using a variety of techniques, depending on design, and all scenes are enclosed behind custom-cut glass.