Krys Crimi, artist.
By Calie Brummer
It all began with a local egg delivery service where friends and neighbors traded their empty cartons for a supply of farm fresh eggs. Artists Krys Crimi and Bonnie Willow saw the egg cartons as a blank canvas, and soon began decorating them with intricate paintings.
“We have been having so much fun using the egg carton as a canvas, which was born more from necessity than on purpose,” says Crimi. “While searching for an affordable canvas, I realized that egg cartons were just going into the recycle bin. Bonnie Willow, a fellow artist, jumped onboard, and now several of us add our designs to the cartons. It is great fun to get fresh eggs with your friends’ art embellishing the delivery.” Crimi saw the empty carton as the perfect canvas to trade back and forth with friends, and the artists soon began to lacquer their favorite designs in order to preserve them. “I believe that beauty isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity,” she says. “This is our small contribution to that pledge.”
The artists hope to share their creations with the community in the future, though in the meantime, they are content passing their whimsical designs among friends, photographing and preserving their favorites along the way. “We have kept this project going for our own enjoyment and creativity,” says Willow.
“As the carton paintings become more complex, we have broached a conversation about displaying them around town in some appropriate venue. It’s unknown whether we will actually do that or not, but my guess is that we will. We aren’t interested in accolades, but rather in sharing and celebrating the fun we have while creating the designs.” As the egg carton paintings continue to become more intricate, the artists find that new mediums and inspirations, such as the use of family relics, stretch their artistic skills into uncharted territory. “Lately I’ve been spray painting through a bit of my grandmother’s lace onto the cartons, creating delicate patterns that were originally crocheted in the 1890s,” says Willow. “It’s deeply satisfying to join with my community in a spontaneous, freeform art project created by and for ourselves while honoring our local, organic food sources.”
To follow the project, find the group on Facebook at Asheville Egg Carton Art.
