Allyson Nagel's Original Porcelain Designs

 Are these made from real eggs?

 No.  Each egg is hand sculpted onto a cast porcelain egg.  An idea comes to life

first with a sketch.  Next is the process of casting an egg shape.  The next step

is sculpting onto that shape to form the general idea of the design.  After the

                                                piece has slowly dried, I then use sculpting and

                                                carving tools to create the details of the

                                                sculpture.  Once the sculpting is finished, it must

                                                be sanded smooth and prepared for the first high

                                                fire or bisque fire.  Temperatures reach over

                                                2000 degrees and the porcelain is vitrified, causing it

                                                to shrink about 20%.  After a very long cooling

                                                period, the pieces are removed and checked for

imperfections.  The perfect pieces will then be sanded again and readied for the

painting process.  The paints are a china over glaze paint which is fired at a lower

temperature.  Each color is applied with a brush and fired on to the sculpture

causing a layered shading effect.  Some sculptures require up to 12 firings,

depending on the amount of colors and the intensity of those colors.  All metallics such as gold are applied separately to a surface that was first fired with a shiny glaze. Finally, the piece is finished after a two to four week period! 

 

How do I know if my piece is an original?

There are numerous pieces that were designed for and reproduced by Roman, Inc in the 1990s.  These pieces are all original designs but were produced and packaged in China.  The reproductions were cast in resin and are solid throughout.  The originals re created in porcelain and are much lighter in weight.  

                                           The reproductions all have my signature on the back;

                                           however, this is not an indication that they are unique

                                           originals.  The originals are all marked as such along 

                                           with the inscribed signature and date that the piece was

                                           created.  Another difference is that the reproductions 

                                           were sold under the collection name Sunny Side Up and

my own creations are sold under A.N. Original.  These names are indicated on

tags that go with the product.  If you ever have questions about a piece please feel free to contact me.

 

How should I dust or clean my piece?

These pieces are easily dusted with a damp cloth or with a soft brush such as a baby hair brush.  If still dirty it is ok to wipe off with a mild soap and damp cloth.  The paint is fired onto the porcelain in a kiln, but the piece should still not be submerged in water for long periods of time.  Never use an abrasive cleaner or brush as that will take the paint off and/or scratch the porcelain.

 

Are the salt & pepper shakers functional?

Yes!  All the shakers are functional and come with corks in the bottom.  However, to keep their value it is recommended to not use.

 

 

 

 

 

How do you mail your work?

Each piece is carefully packed and shipped via USPS Priority Mail.