European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                This Small Chicken egg was painted by Ursula Treutler who uses a Hue pointed knife to simulate whiskers and fur this Ostrich egg designed by Sabine Albert has a celtic Motif. The egg is about the sue of a Cantaloupe. Maria centrum has decorated eggs for 55 years. Sabine Albert decorates an Ostrich egg using a Drill with a dental bit. 14 stripes Magazine March 11, 1993s&s photos by  by Iffie Bathen staff writer it s the time of year to get egg cited Over easter. And one Way to begin is to visit an Sterei Ermark a German for Quot easter egg Market Quot a a Paradise of natural and artistic egg wonders. With shindigs like Folk dancing or food festivals As backdrops Many of these colourful Craft fairs Are beginning to be offered across Europe often As fund raisers for charitable causes. 1 More than 100 artists showcased their wares at one of the largest International shows recently held in Neu Isenburg near Frankfurt Germany some 10,000 decorated eggs filled baskets bowls and wreaths. They ranged from boxed by the dozen size to Many larger than a barnyard Chicken. They included Finch eggs Pigeon eggs Duck eggs Swan eggs Quail eggs pheasant eggs and Goose eggs. Not to mention the eggs of peacocks ostriches partridges and emus. Quot you must have a Good relationship with the egg Quot says Ruud de Vos an artist from the Netherlands who said that he preferred the Ceramic ones he crafted himself. His largest were about the size of a football which he illustrated in an Art Nouveau style of swirling pastel colors. Floating swans and a woman with looping hair danced across one that he held with Pride. He explained Quot i cannot put the Story on it if it does not fit the size the  not to be excessively eggs Stantial artist Silke troster at a stand nearby agreed. She wore the traditional dress of Mardorf near marburg in Central Germany. She explained How nature makes the perfect geometrical Canvas for her ideas Quot we have to identify with the eggs. We can t Deal with eggs we Don t like Quot she used a traditional beeswax technique to decorate Chicken eggs. The intricate patterns were made by drawing lines of melted Wax on the fragile shells and. Alternately dipping them into dyes and adding More Wax. One egg is dipped several times starting with lighter colors a process that May take several hours. The moment when she melts off All of the Wax is the most delightful she said. That s when Quot it looks just like i thought it  last year she and her Mother sold More than 300 eggs decorated with scenes from Folk tales and rhymes. Every two years troster s Village holds a Folk festival where hundreds of egg decorations Are displayed Many in Century old motifs. Quot it s handed Down generation to generation to generation said Maria centrum. The 67-year-old grandmother also wearing Mardorf finery said she had been decorating for As Long As she could remember. She Learned from her grandmother who Learned from her grandmother before her. Her eggs had intricate patterns with messages or sayings on the Back. The writing was in old German script a form used before the Early part of the Century. Many Young people can t read it she said that s too bad because the eggs were made to be Given As a gifts to a Friend. They were like love letters from a girl to a boy. Some of the Quot antique Quot ones rattle because the insides were not removed before the Shell was decorated. Susan Simon an american from Frankfurt who was browsing through the Market said that she had made several trips into Eastern Europe and Russia looking for decorated eggs. She said she found shopping a Little expensive in Vienna where she used to live. So she started her collection of about 50 eggs in Hungary arid the former Czechoslovakia where she found them for  at the Neu Isenburg Market the  materials and artistic techniques were dazzling and so were some Price tags. Eggs in Kaleidoscope colors Cost Only a few dollars but work by talented artists appropriately jumped to hundreds of dollars. Among the finest was the work of Ursula Treutler. Her realistic nature studies in elegant Earth tones were priced at Over $100 per mouse Teddy Bear or Bunny. She used a Fine knife to Peel paint away from the Shell to create a illusion of soft fur and whiskers. Sabine Albert changed hefty Ostrich eggs the size of a cantaloupes into elaborate lace. Working for 30 hours or More on each masterpiece she used a Drill with a dental bit to fashion the shells into natural White on White elegance. One with a celtic knot pattern Cost about $400.other artists for example included Ronate Rauth who offered Goose eggs decked in silk ribbons and dried Flowers. Leni Peter decorated striking dark Blue Emu eggs the size of grapefruits with grains and seeds. And unusual Light Green ones were the work of Ute Pohl who etched patterns into the eggs of an exotic african pheasant. Dates for easter markets Are beginning to be posted throughout Europe. Watch for listings in the stars and stripes in our weekly Calendar Section. Here Are a few coming up in Germany a Frankfurt do Ilnikar a Kloster March 13 and 14 a Heidelberg Congress centrum March 14 a Michel Stadt Odenwald Halle March 20 and 21 a Ulm Kornhaus March 27 and a am Fineburg Mardorf Bergerhaus april 2 through 4 a Lindenfels at the foot of the Castle and gardens april 3 and 4 these taster eggs were decorated using a traditional beeswax technique. March 11, 1993 stripes Magazine 15