Posted on 03/12/2017 8:25:25 AM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA -- Easter may still be over a month away, but one local Pysanky artist has been working on her eggs for weeks.
Ruthann McCaulley decorates eggs by Pysanky method, a Ukrainian folk art that uses a kistka or writing tool to apply hot wax to an egg followed by a progression of various color dyes. After each dye, additional detail is applied with wax until the design is complete. The big finale happens when the wax is removed and the finished artwork is revealed.
Pysanky is an age old art deeply rooted in symbolic meaning. Egg designs and motifs will commonly fall into either a geometric, plant or animal motif. To learn the art of Pysanky will always include learning the symbolism behind the designs. Traditional Pysanky were created using five basic colors ranging from yellow, orange, green, red to black. Writing on the egg begins on the white background with additional detail added to successively different colored backgrounds or fields which are produced by dying the egg in a series of colors from lightest to darkest. Modern artists now use dozens of different colored dyes resulting in a full spectrum of colorful creations.
McCaulley has been writing Pysanky for 30 years, having learned in Sierra Vista in 1980 at a city-sponsored class. She has hundreds of eggs all blown out and ready to use.
Preparing to draw on the eggs takes plenty of advance preparation. Fresh eggs usually sit out on the counter for a few day to make blowing them out easier. Eggs are pierced, drained, flushed out, washed and left to dry. Next begins the heart of Pysanky, egg division. There are 10 basic egg divisions that are used for all designs. This step requires careful measuring and marking. Often designs that appear highly detailed are merely repetitive patterns that have been written onto each divided section of the egg.
"I have made hundreds and hundreds of eggs, giving the large majority of them away as gifts to friends and relatives. The process of designing a pattern with a specific thought that I wish to convey is a very personal and relaxing experience. Many times the eggs don't turn out quite the way I had envisioned, but I end up pleasantly surprised with the unexpected variations in colors.
Whenever you're working with something natural like an egg, there are so many elements that you can't control. Each egg offers it's own surprise. Add to that the difficulty of working with something as fragile as an egg, and the process becomes even more challenging. I have dropped and broken eggs at all stages of my work. There's nothing more frustrating than having an egg slip out of your hands as you are applying varnish for final completion. But that's part of the fun that goes with the art. The complexity of the designs dictates how many hours are spent on completed eggs. I have learned to be patient when working on my eggs, and if I can't dedicate several hours of quiet, interrupted time, I won't begin working on a design. I have created pysanka on every imaginable type of egg from quail, to chicken, duck, goose, ostrich and others. Each one presents its own challenge in terms of size, texture, fragility and logistics of working with the egg. Right now I'm working on a few dinosaur theme designs for my grandson. I've done eggs as wedding gifts, Christening gifts, anniversary gifts and of course holiday eggs. My most time consuming and difficult project was a complete nativity set that took months of work. I'm a member of an online Pysanky forum with fellow eggers who support and help each other to foster the art by posting photos, questions, helpful tips, patterns and challenges to create various eggs. We also do an exchange for major holidays with egg artists from around the world. Similar to a secret Santa, the names of participating artists are randomly drawn and we send each other one of our eggs. Receiving a pysanka is a token of friendship that historically has believed would bring good fortune, wealth, health and protection."
For Ruthann, Pysanky is not just an Easter tradition. She works on her eggs year round, as time permits. "Inspiration for designs is everywhere. When I look at things I'm always thinking about ways to incorporate the colors and patterns onto an egg". Over the years Ruthann has taught several of her local friends the art form and and they get together for egg play dates to exchange ideas and work on their projects. They often visit local farms seeking eggs that are more unique in size, shape and color than store bought eggs. "The love of the art and tradition is what hooked me years ago and continues to challenge and reward me. I consider Pysanky away to spread love one egg at a time."
Cool. Thanks for sharing this.
Must be a thrill when the grandkid brings in a surprise omelette to grandma.......
I love this. This year I saw a video where you take pieces of silk ties and wrap them tightly around the egg, then wrap that with a piece of cotton, the immerse in water plus 2 T of vinegar and then boil for 20 minutes and unwrap. Really beautiful. Lots of videos on Youtube.
Thanks for pasting this all in and circumventing the subscription requirement for us.
It is well worth reading, and viewing the picture!
Ping.
You will be delighted.
My grandmother and aunts used to do this when I was a little kid. Yes, it’s pretty cool.
You blow them out when you’re done with them.
At lest we always did.
Some people just keep turning them twice a day for a year until the egg is dried out inside.
I never had that kind of ambition.
Awesome! Thanks!
No, no, no.
They just need to be room temperature and you blow them out when you're done.
Otherwise, I don't see how you'd get the egg to soak in the dye without either floating or filling with dye.
I used to make these in three sizes:
Goose Eggs: Very large and heavy, but lots of room to create.
Chicken Eggs: Regular sized, and most common
Duck Eggs: Small and delicate...a REAL Challenge!
BTTT
Those are gorgeous! I’d never have the patience. LOL!
I did this several years ago. It is quite fun. I really thought about using a dremmel tool to make the hole large enough to blow the eggs easily. I was seeing stars by the time I was done!
http://www.hearthsong.com/egg-blower-tool.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Hole-Easter-Blower-Pysanky-Blowing/dp/B00NMTOL38
http://www.bestpysanky.com/Blas-Fix-Egg-Blower-Blowing-Kit-p/blwr-2.htm
used to blow out eggs. I used the yellow one for years. Dozens of eggs at a time.
Eggactly. I’ve blown out eggs. Not a great idea.
Oh wow!!!
I do something similar with the eggs from my backyard chicks. Thanks for this post!
Thanks Chickensoup! I may do a few this year!
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