Carol Hansen

Carol M. Hansen (she/her) was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She creates mosaics using gouache-painted eggshells on canvas. Her mosaics are primarily realistic depictions inspired by nature and humanity. She is influenced by a sense of awe at the astonishing beauty of the natural world, by interconnectedness – between people as well as between people and nature – and ultimately by a sense of hope within a broken and fragile world.

In 2010, while recovering from cancer surgery, she became interested in mosaics. Researching them, however, became intimidating due to the supplies and tools needed. But then she came across a photo of an eggshell mosaic done on a tabletop. Inspired by the simplicity and organic nature of the materials, she followed the procedure and created her own tabletop design.

Following that initial success, she expanded to creating mosaics on canvas using gouache paint and gluing pieces one-by-one and placing them with tweezers. It is a meticulous process that she finds remarkably soothing. As the only artist she knows who uses eggshells in this way, she has taught herself primarily through hands-on experience and experimentation. 

In April of 2025 she received a Best of Show award in 2D Mixed Media at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival street fair; in June 2025 one of her mosaics won 2nd place in an artist challenge through the Whatcom Art Guild and she was been selected as an “Artist of the Month” for another mosaic which will be shown at the Colophon Café in Fairhaven during the month of October, 2025.

Her work can be found at brokenforyou.shop and you can follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/3ggshell.org.