When I first put my ceramic sculpture proposal to the trustees of the Chauncy Vale wildlife sanctuary I was warned that some of my eggs might go missing. I replied that I was fine with that because I really didn’t think that someone would bother to pinch the eggs. I also assumed that the eggs would only go missing if I left them down there for longer than a few days and then it would be my own silly fault.
As usual I am writing in circles.
Last Sunday the 6th of Feb was the annual ChauncyVale family day. I have been making large and small ceramic eggs over the course of the last year in readiness for this one day in the bush.
I wanted to have some nests of largish ceramic eggs about the size of emu eggs in the bush just off the side of the track that people could either see or not see, depending on how observant they are. Over the course of the year as I worked through my grief from the early death of my mother, the proposal morphed and changed so that I also had some quite large eggs and egg-like sculptures.
On Saturday the 5th I placed the eggs in situ and (this is the important bit) didn’t bother to take any photos.
Sunday morning I went down to check that I was still happy with the placement of the eggs and set up for the busy day ahead and all was well.
I had a bit of car trouble, stupid car, and when I finally turned up at Chauncy Vale an hour before opening time, everyone was already there setting up their various stalls. I got completely sidetracked and again did not take any photos of my work in situ.
From the moment the first visitors arrived I was flatstick busy. Constantly surrounded by an ever changing sea of children and also some adventurous adults we all made ceramic eggs and had heaps of fun playing in the mud together.
I honestly was that flat out I barely had time to scratch myself.
At the end of the day I packed up the car and decided that photographing the eggs could wait until the next day. I drove home totally and completely knackered but also very happy with the days effort. People had liked my work and we had made and decorated over 40 ceramic eggs, one ashtray and a snake.
I drove back down to Chauncy Vale yesterday morning to photograph the eggs and bugger me dead, heaps of them were missing. HEAPS.
Some bastard had pinched the eggs.
I was gobsmacked.
I expected some to go missing if I left them down in the bush for longer than a few days but I certainly didn’t expect the thieves to be that bloody quick. I also didn’t expect the larger eggs to be stolen because they were bloody heavy.
I made a few phone calls and the general consensus seems to be that the eggs were all there when everyone had left for the night.
I tweeted that some of the eggs were missing and luckily the gorgeous norfickchick had taken photos.
Norfick chick also blogs as sleepy dwarf and these photos are all hers that she emailed to me last night.
This next photo shows a very depleted nest. I had placed about nine eggs in this nest and by the time that sleepy dwarf had photographed them there were only 5 in the nest. I had expected that the children would move them around and that I would find them scattered all about the place. Or that children would come up to me holding eggs saying look what they had found. I didn’t expect to go back less than 24 hours after the event closed to find ALL of the eggs missing.
All of these eggs have been taken.
The Spouse and I looked in the creek because these would make a very satisfying splash but no luck.
The list of missing eggs grew longer the further up the track I walked. Both these eggs were taken.
As was the green egg on the right in this photo. These dragon eggs are quite large, about 18 inches or so high and they are quite heavy. They also have my name and the date 2010 inscribed into the bottom of them.
The little egg here next to the sculpture was also taken. I really liked this little egg as it was my prototype for a series I am developing. If you shake this little egg it makes a nice clink because there is a ceramic bead inside it.
So, all up three large eggs and about ten smaller eggs were taken.
It was a very bitter encore to what had been a fantastic day out.
Comments on this entry are closed.
How rude! I loathe people who feel they have the right to take the property of someone else…very bad karma, nice things will not happen to the people who took them but I’m glad someone photographed them before they disappeared…
That is just awful. They look absolutely beautiful – as Gaby said, bad karma to whoever took them. Honestly. This is why we can’t have nice things…
Oh Kim 🙁
Hopefully it is just kids mucking around and they will be found safe and sound.
Oh that is just… horrible.
Can’t you publish this in a local newspaper? It’s pure theft. Have you told the police?
I’m hoping that Kelley is right.
Looking at the reverse side of things, it’s obvious that someone else really loved those eggs too. But yes it is bloody annoying to have your artworks stolen like that. I will keep my fingers crossed that they may yet reappear.
xox
A pox on the thieves!
I’d be checking out local gardens and backyards.
But I am so glad that someone got photos – they are absolutely beautiful.
.
When I saw the nest of smaller eggs, they were the same ones that NorfickChick took photos of, only the 5 of them.
I’m eggstremely eggsasperated by this ineggscusable behaviour !!! I wonder how eggzactly did the egg thieves eggstract the eggs ??
seriously though Kim…….so sorry to hear about that ! They looked so beautiful. I am so annoyed – all that work you put in !
Oh hon, what arseholes! *hugs*
At first I thought little kids taking “souvenirs,” but then if they’re that heavy it can’t be a childlike misunderstanding. It would be obvious to any adult able to pick up the eggs that these are not naturally occurring things…
I don’t see what a thief would be able to do with the eggs, because if he displays them outside, he’s outing himself. It’s not even someone hungry stealing food… it’s just… mean. 🙁
Bummer! Someone obviously never learned to “take only pictures, leave only footprints” in a nature preserve. I hope they will come back to you in time.
Oh Kim–I’m so sorry.
In collage, as a photography major, we had to put up a show of our senior thesis. A friend had a photo stolen off the wall during her show. I can only imagine the pain this causes. I hope the eggs come back, somehow.
Oh boy! I hate to admit it – but if I were walking around and saw one of those big beautiful eggs…..yeah….I would have heisted a few for my garden. It isn’t that I am a thief it is just that they are SO gorgous…. 😉
That truly s*cks! They looked so natural in that setting, what a shame! I guess some people can’t resist their most base urges. Me first, f* everybody else.
I might also have lifted one or two – they are stunning
That’s really strange. Why would someone take them? As someone else said, all they could do with them is display them and that runs the chance of someone else finding them.
So sorry Kim, I have had artwork stolen (when I was at school) and it makes you feel sick. It’s as though it’s a part of you.
So sorry to hear that they stole your gorgeous eggs. Thye look sensational kim. You are truly talented -of ocurse we all knew that.
It’s flattering they loved them but rotten they nicked htem. I hope they get caught.
Hi Kim It’s unbelievable that people think your artworks were there for the taking, on the flip side it is a compliment that people want to have the eggs to keep. I think they’re stunning and would love some for my garden!
Anyway I think you should let the police know what has happened and go to your local paper about this – that way you may get some back. You could say if they’re returned to the nature reserve there’ll be no questions asked, something like that.
That is just so awful Kim, to have so much of your beautiful art stolen. I honestly do not know how people can do this. My conscience would nag me for the rest of my life, or until I took the items back. At least you have your name on them, so if the thief shows them off, someone else might notice and let you know where they are.
Was there a visitor sign in book for the family day? I’m also wondering how the thief/thieves managed to carry them off without someone else noticing.
The decorated eggs in the first picture look really great.
But there still was a theft my froggy friend. Would you wander around Bondi pinching the artwork from the Sculpture by the sea? Or go into an art gallery and walk out with a painting that caught your eye?
This is why a lot of artists are loathe to exhibit in public spaces because of entitled twats who think that Art in public is Art for the taking.
that is so pathetic, obviously they have been stolen or they would still be there!!
On behalf of Friends of Chauncy Vale it is disappointing that so many of the eggs have gone missing. The eggs were a huge hit at the family day among both children and adults and it is perhaps not surprising that someone (or some people) have found them irresistible.
We would be happy to do whatever we can to retrieve the eggs that have gone missing, including emailing all members to see if anyone knows their whereabouts. Provided we know their location we can arrange their safe return. However, we have no way of contacting other members of the general public who attended this event or generally were at Chauncy Vale at the same time as the event.
Damn, that’s awful. People are complete buggers sometimes. I hope you get at least some of them back.
Sorry to see that people were so inconsiderate! The eggs look really cool.
I’m a bit baffled at the Friends blithe assumption that it’s a bit unfortunate but really you should be flattered that somebody made off with them. I mean, it’s theft and the people who took them should be utterly ashamed. They look really beautiful in the pictures. And I love the idea of the dragon ones.
The eggs look great in the photos and to lose your work, the imagination that went into them is terrible. So sorry, Kim. X
Maybe you and your friends should go around to the shops to see if anyone is selling them. If they had the nerve to steal them, they might have the nerve to put them up for sale.
Oh no. Having experienced the theft of something meaningful recently, I can empathise. My response was similar to yours – I expressed the opinion that instant karma may not get them but gradual karma surely would. Something will catch up with them, even if it’s only their conscience. (I very much treasure your egg and hold it often, by the way.)