the universe in an egg

For years I’ve wanted to take a workshop in Pysanky, the Ukrainian folk art which uses wax resist and rich dyes to create symbolic, intricate designs on eggs.

This ancient tradition is steeped in myth, centered on the image of the egg as the source of all life: The sun (the yolk) and the moon (the white), contained within a strong/fragile shell…the universe.

The egg that’s held and drawn on (pysanky = to write) was believed to possess an enormous power…not only within the egg itself, but also in the symbolic designs and colors, drawn on the egg according to prescribed rituals.

The eggs were used for social and religious occasions and were considered to be a talisman, a protector against evil, as well as harbingers of good.

Last weekend, despite the fact that we were in a modern American home in 2014, the experience of making pysanky eggs felt nothing but mythical and mystical…

Drawing with hot wax

dyeing with rich, earthy colors

building layers of designs

thinking in reverse (layers beneath the black wax will be visible).

At some point, all of us experienced “Mary’s tears,” which is when a glob of wax mistakenly drops on your egg. You have no choice but to go with it. Which is why my egg got very free-form very quickly.

As my design developed, I worked more with a paintbrush, and spent less time immersing the egg in the jars.

After leaving the eggs to dry for awhile, there was finally the moment of the great reveal, removing the wax.

We then gathered the eggs from around the table, to marvel at the modern collection created in our ancient candlelit space.

ps: Happy Easter!