FABERGE, EAT YOUR HEART OUT\Artists' fantasies hatch from empty shells.

Byline: Terry Kanakri Daily News Staff Writer

Betty Staben began learning about the art of decorating, carving and painting eggshells some 20 years ago, and since then it's been difficult to find a hobby that is more challenging or fun.

"I'm an eggoholic," jokes Staben, who lives in the Santa Rosa Valley. "It's a very rewarding hobby. You lose yourself in a different world. It's like gardening, where you get into it and you forget about your problems. You become so engrossed in it."

Staben was one of about 65 eggshell artists who displayed their work during the two-day 17th annual California Egg Artistry Show and Sale, which ended Sunday at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel.

Inside the Grand Ballroom, about 65 artists from Southern California and across the country elicited oohs and wows from spectators who were stunned by their detailed workmanship.

At Staben's table, a three-egg display cut and shaped into a circus complete with animals and internal lighting caught the eyes of many.

Ardie Wagner of Simi Valley said she was astonished by the attention to detail and workmanship among the exhibits.

"I'm amazed at the intricate work and the hours spent on putting them together," she said. "They're beautiful. Some of them are so exquisite. It's beyond the imagination."

Wagner's daughter-in-law, Robin Frame of Newbury Park, who brought her 6-year-old daughter, Danielle, to the show, said she was just as impressed.

"I've never seen anything like this," she said. "I never realized that people spend so much time cutting beautiful eggs. It's amazing they're so creative that they can turn a simple egg into a piece of art!"

Many of the eggs were hand-painted. Some artists used electrical tools to produce filigree work or hinged doors opening to reveal miniature scenes. Some featured music boxes. And there were eggs in the shape of trains, carousels and Christmas ornaments.

The artists used tiny, -3/8-inch finch eggs to 18-inch ostrich eggs. Some were decorated as chickens, geese, emus, rheas and swans.

Marilyn Osgood of the Tri-County Egg Artists Club, who co-directed the event with fellow member Ann Copeland, said the art of carving and painting eggs has been traced as far back as ancient Egypt.

"The ancient people gave great significance to the art form because the egg was a symbol of rebirth," Copeland said.

And today, just as then, spectators still find themselves mesmerized by the work, Copeland said.

"Their eyes widen dramatically and their mouths drop open," she said. "I've seen that over and over and they just can't believe that natural eggshells can be used in so many different ways. It comes back to imagination."

Osgood agreed.

"The imagination that every artist brings to their art is one of the most outstanding features," she said. "There's a fantastic variety."

Copeland points out that the artists work on real eggshells, which requires steady hands.

"Every egg is a natural eggshell, there's no porcelain, no plastic. It's all natural."

For more information about egg artistry, call Copeland at [phone].

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Photo (1--color in SIMI and CONEJO editions only) Betty Staben's creation "The Circus," featuring animals and internal lighting, was among the work of about 65 eggshell artists in a Westlake Village exhibit. (2) Pearls decorate this eggshell work by Betty Staben. Artists use shells from -3/8-inch finch eggs to 18-inch ostrich eggs - no imitations. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News