As promised, I have some pics from the Pysanky workshop I held in my studio. Two homeschooled students, a mom and her three girls, my kids, and two of their friends participated in our three hour class. They learned that Pysanky egg decorating originated in the Ukraine and that its intricate patterns and colors are symbolic. They learned about the tools used in making Pysanky and the steps in the process. Then, each participant made their own egg as we followed a traditional pattern, step by step, together. After the first eggs were complete the students created free form egg designs of their own choosing. At the end of the workshop each person took home with them: two finished eggs, a kistka, beeswax, an instruction guide, and a catalog with which to purchase dyes if they wish to make more eggs in the future.
Pysanky is a wax resist process. Beginning with a fresh, white egg, you cover areas of the egg with melted wax using a kistka. When you dip the egg into the first dye bath, the places you covered with wax will remain white. After each dye bath, when the egg has dried, you cover the areas with wax that you wish to stay that color before proceeding to the next dye bath. When the design is complete and all the dyeing is done, you hold the egg close to a candle flame to remelt the wax so you can wipe it from the egg revealing your finished design. Removing the wax from the finished egg is like discovering hidden treasure!
If making Pysanky is something you wish to find out more about and perhaps try your hand at, here are some resources for you:
It was so nice to hold the kistka in one hand and a fresh egg in the other, to feel the soft melted wax flow onto the egg shell, and to smell the waxy goodness of burning candles and hunks of beeswax. There is something so comforting in working with low-tech tools on a traditional craft that has endured the test of time. Even though I have no Ukrainian in my family heritage, I feel a connectedness to the past and a gratefulness for those who are willing to share their customs with the rest of the world.
Pysanky is a wax resist process. Beginning with a fresh, white egg, you cover areas of the egg with melted wax using a kistka. When you dip the egg into the first dye bath, the places you covered with wax will remain white. After each dye bath, when the egg has dried, you cover the areas with wax that you wish to stay that color before proceeding to the next dye bath. When the design is complete and all the dyeing is done, you hold the egg close to a candle flame to remelt the wax so you can wipe it from the egg revealing your finished design. Removing the wax from the finished egg is like discovering hidden treasure!
If making Pysanky is something you wish to find out more about and perhaps try your hand at, here are some resources for you:
- Learn Pysanky: Step by step basic instructions, symbol and color meanings, egg designs, and many other wonderful bits of information.
- Ukrainian Gift shop: Where to buy your supplies.
- Two wonderful children's books by Patricia Polacco with Pysanky in the storyline:Chicken Sunday, Rechenka's Eggs
It was so nice to hold the kistka in one hand and a fresh egg in the other, to feel the soft melted wax flow onto the egg shell, and to smell the waxy goodness of burning candles and hunks of beeswax. There is something so comforting in working with low-tech tools on a traditional craft that has endured the test of time. Even though I have no Ukrainian in my family heritage, I feel a connectedness to the past and a gratefulness for those who are willing to share their customs with the rest of the world.
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2 comments:
Wow! these eggs are gorgeous!!
Pysanky is a wonderful hobby and past-time handed down to me through my mother.
Please stop by at:
http://www.psyankycrazy.com
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