Pysanky aren’t just for Easter. I’ve just finished these snowflake ornament pysanky, which are replicas and variations of designs created by master pysankartsvo artist Luba Petrusha. A big thank you to Luba for sharing her beautiful designs. She offers instructions for these eggs on her website here. These ornaments that I’ve created are on eggs which I’ve blown out. These are also a lot of fun to make, and a variation on the traditional Easter pysanky. On the back of each egg I’ve included the year. These ornaments are available in Roslindale, MA at Sarida, a wonderful store in which everything is made by local artists. My lamps are there as well. Happy Holiday Season to everyone!
These are pysanky I’ve made this month and last for Roslindale Open Studios. I’ve made 22 since July, and have enjoyed it so much. I’m going to put the pysanky supplies away for a little while, as its time to make lamps… I do feel sad to put the supplies away, though I am excited to make lamps again- its been awhile.
The firsts are-
1. Using brown eggs. The top two pysanky are the first I’ve ever done on brown eggs. These are from the farmer’s market. The shells feel so strong. The light brown color goes so well especially with red and blue dyes.
2. Making up my own design from traditional elements. First time I’ve done this since I was a kid. The top right pysanka includes a ribbon, churches, trees, flowers, and crosses- various elements that I put together to create this design. The church, trees and flower form a small scene. The pysanky I make are usually designs copied from other pysanky.
3. My most time intensive pysanka. This is the one in the center. It took probably between 8 and 10 hours or so at least.
pysanky then and now
When I was a child, my mother taught Ukrainian Easter egg – pysanky – classes. While she taught I would sit there and make pysanky. I was around 8 years old or so, I don’t quite remember. I loved making these, and had a favorite- the deer with the various patterns encircling the bottom half of the egg. I made this egg at least 5 times when I was little. I recently found this old egg and another I had done when I was little, and remade them both. I was so happy to find them.. I hadn’t seen them in years. Some of the colors on the sunburst egg had faded a lot, but most of the colors on the deer egg remain vibrant, along with the red background of the sunburst.
I’ve taken up making pysanky again the past couple of years. I love doing it- when I sit down to create these I never want to stop. I get excited to make them and look forward to it. The eggs mean a lot to me- they’re part of my Ukrainian heritage, and are a link to my mother and family. Plus I am helping the world- Do you know about the legend about the evil monster chained to a mountain? The more pysanky that are made, the tighter his chains get, and the less evil that is in the world. So not only am I creating these beautiful eggs, I’m helping to save the world.
andrikaspysanky 