Recycled egg shell art hatches into big enterprise for artist

Mr Otieno shows his egg shell portraits. Photo/File  

By ANGELA OKETCH    

In Summary

• Willis Otieno operated in several places in Kisumu, painting and selling pictures to friends as far as Nairobi but he still was not satisfied with what he was doing.
• In 2009, the idea of using egg shells occurred to him and he decided to give it a try. He named his business Takataka Treasure Arts.
• He started the business with only Sh300 which he used to buy glue and one metre of black cotton cloth, and collected used egg shells and plywood to make his first two samples.
• His efforts are paying rich dividend. Mr Otieno says he earns Sh40, 000 or more a month depending on the season and the market exclusive of all the expenses.

If you have been cracking an egg and throwing away the shell, then think twice because that is the source of livelihood for Kisumu artist Willis Otieno.

He uses ground egg shells to decorate his drawings instead of seeds.

After completing a two-year diploma course at Mwangaza Art School in Nyalenda, Kisumu, Mr Otieno started selling his art to the locals.

“While still in school I survived on paintings that earned me money for my upkeep and even paid my fees because my parents were unable to do so,” he says.

He operated in several places in Kisumu, painting and selling pictures to friends as far as Nairobi but he still was not satisfied with what he was doing. One day a friend brought him black sand from Rusinga Island so that he could make something different.

\
“I took the sand and tried making something from it and what I saw really impressed me. I thought it was time to start different designs that would fetch me more money than my usual drawings,” he added

In 2009, the idea of using egg shells occurred to him and he decided to give it a try. He named his business Takataka Treasure Arts.

Because crushed egg shell are white, he thought of using a contrasting background like black cotton cloth which worked.

He says he started the business with only Sh300 which he used to buy glue and one metre of black cotton cloth. He collected used egg shells and plywood which he obtained from his bed to make his first two samples.

“I was so impressed by the response I got from the two samples which I sold at Sh150 each. People loved my work and friends encouraged me to switch to egg shells and that’s how it started,” he added.

He decided to make his dream come true with the money he earned from the sale of his two pieces.

Mr Otieno gets the egg shells from dumping sites in Kisumu County, from hotels in the town and from boiled egg vendors.

“When someone sees me rummaging for the egg shells he might think am insane but what am getting from there is much bigger and important than what they think,” he added.

“Besides, the boiled egg vendors are usually relieved of the task of disposing of the waste, I certainly make their work easier,” says Mr Otieno. He adds that egg shells from the vendors are the best ones to work with because they are clean and easy to grind.

His art has earned him fame in the region. In December last year, he met the co-ordinator of Maseno University’s Business Incubator Programme at an exhibition to identify upcoming entrepreneurs and how to support them to build their businesses.

1