Laurie Bedard is very pleased with the response she has gotten of late about the Easter eggs she currently has on display at the Fort Frances Public Library.
A self-taught artist, Bedard’s talent for taking an ordinary egg and transforming it into a beautiful piece of art is something that often even surprises herself.
“I always wanted to do something like this,” said Bedard. “So one day I went to the library and got a book. My husband [Albert] made me some tools and I started.”
Although Bedard’s talent for egg-painting can be traced through her family tree, she admitted she’s often not sure where her inspiration comes from.
“Sometimes I just hold the pencil but something else takes over and creates the picture,” she confessed. “My grandmother and great-grandmother both did this but neither one of them taught me how to do it.
“I think there might be some genetic residue left over or something.”
Taking up to four days to create one of her ornately-designed eggs, Bedard said the work behind each one has a significant meaning to her.
“Each one of the eggs is very personal,” she stressed. “Each egg that you design is very personal to you. It is something you spend a great deal of time on and it is special to you.”
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Ravyn Bedard also has picked up her own stylus to begin creating masterpieces of her own.
“Ravyn is nine-years-old and she is a very talented girl,” her mom noted. “When she is my age, I can only imagine the kinds of things she will be turning out.
“She has been doing this since she was five and she just has a natural talent for it.”
Bedard’s Easter egg collection will remain on display at the library until the end of the month.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
