VietNamNet Bridge – After retiring from his job as a cameraman, Hoang Ngoc Hung pursues sculptures on egg shells as a hobby to keep alive his passion for art and it helps him to relax and have carefree weekends. Therefore, each day passers-by will see a grey-haired man with eye glasses absorbed in making his art in a tiny corner of his home at 58/30A Phan Van Tri Street in Binh Thanh District.

Hoang Ngoc Hung carves intricate lines on goose shells.

Starting with instruction videos on Youtube and foreign forums, the self-taught egg sculptor debuted his first artwork on June, 15, 2012 which gained much appreciation and encouragement of family and friends.

“I have become addicted to it. I will get crazy if I don’t work on it for even one day. Therefore in working days, I get up early to snatch the free time to enjoy my passion,” said Hung.

Hung said the genre requires artists to be patient, skillful and surely having a deep love for what they are doing.

“When I am creative, my daily ordinary worries seem to vanish away. I totally indulge myself in the world of egg shells, sketches and an electric rotary tool,” said Hung.

To make a sculpture, Hung firstly washes carefully the eggs, emptying out the yolk with a syringe, then he dries the shells for two or three days. After that Hung sketches images on the shells and starts to carve on them. Egg shells can come from a chicken, duck, goose or ostrich.

“Egg shells are easily broken, so there is no need to hurry but just slowly work on tiny lines step by step to have the best works,” Hung said.

That is the reason why Hung needs one week, two weeks or even two months to finish one work.

Hung’s artworks feature countryside scenery such as a bamboo bridge, a cowboy playing a flute or modern architecture works. Iconic Vietnamese images of cities of the three regions of Hue, Hanoi, HCMC can also be witnessed.

Moreover, Hung also carves images of animals, flowers or intricate patterns on eggs.

“I often put my works on an electric rotary platform with a light, so users can use it as a night lamp or just a decoration,” said Hung.

A horse carved on ostrich eggs created by sculptor Hoang Ngoc Hung in just two months.

He added that he just sells works for ordered pieces, other pieces he makes for himself, but he denies he is a sell-out. “You cannot image how much happy I feel when I see a finished work and I just want to see it every day, some pieces cannot be copied for a second time,” Hung said.

Hung also teaches freely for any enthusiast keen to learn his profession. “The art is still new in Vietnam so I want to promote it and I want to share the passion with anyone who is interested,” Hung said, adding he dreams of opening a club to teach poor and disabled children this artform. “I wish I can help them to have a better life with a career developed by arts and passion.”

Source: SGT