Chippewa Valley Museum — PO Box 1204 — Eau Claire WI 54702 — (715) 834-7871 — info@cvmuseum.com

Pysanky: Ukrainian decorated eggs

Pauline Lencz
Owen, Wiscsonsin

When she was a child in Lublin, Pauline Lencz learned to make pysanky from her mother. She applies beeswax to an egg with a pointed tool called a stylus, making intricate designs. She dips the egg in dye many times. The lighter colors go on first, then the darker. Mrs. Lencz has taught her grandchildren the tradition and craft of pysanky.

"I didn't think I had artistic ability at all, but easter wasn't Easter without pysanky." -- Pauline Lencz

Pysanky means "writing" in Ukrainian, and is an Easter custom. It refers to the rebirth of spring and the resurrection of Christ. Colors, which often come from natural substances, are symbolic. Yellow represents harves and wisdom. It comes from boiled onion skins. Red can be made from beets. It means either happiness or the blood of Jesus.

Some of Lencz's eggs are at the Wisconsin Historical Society:
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/exhibits/eggs/symbols.asp

The Lencz family came from Lublin, Wisconsin:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~witaylor/histories/lublinhistory.html

Try it yourself!

Task One: Draw your design

Use your colored markers or crayons to create a design. You can leave parts of it white if you like. Make it as simple or complex as you like. Want some ideas? Click here!

You need ...

- colored markers or crayons (yellow, orange, red, black)

- pictures of pysanky designs. Need ideas? click here or here!

- a copy of an egg-shaped outline to draw designs on. Don't have one? Click here!

You might want to ...

blow the liquids out of the eggs before you make the pysanky egg. (You don't have to: traditionally the eggs were decorated whole.) To empty the eggs ...

1. With a sharp needle or pin, poke holes in opposite ends of the egg.

2. Gently blow into one end, letting the liquids drip from the opposite end into a bowl.

3. Rinse in soapy water and let dry.

Task Two: Bring your design to life on the egg

You need ...

- a pencil

- a couple of eggs (you only need one, but extras are great because your egg might crack)

- rubber cement

- a darning needle or a kabob spear, something sharp like that

- Q-tips

- paper towels

- spoons

- four bowls for dye: yellow, orange, red, black

- dye: Regular Easter egg dye won't work very well. You might want to get special egg dyes at a craft store or a gift shop. You might experiment with fabric or candle dyes. For the best dyes, try a Ukrainian gift shop. Here's one:

Ukrainian Gift Shop Incorporated
(763) 788-2545
2512 39th Ave Ne
Minneapolis, MN 55421
Cross Street: Between Apache Ln NE and County Hwy 27

http://www.mailordercentral.com/ukrainiangiftshop/

http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com/

(Either link will open in a new window. Close to return here.)

Directions

1. Draw the design on the egg.

2. Using a Q-tip for larger areas, and the darning needle or kabob spear for more detailed work, apply rubber cement to the areas that you want to remain white: that you don't want any dye at all to stain.

3. Put the egg on a spoon, and carefully dip the egg into the bowl with th yellow dye. After five minutes, remove the egg and dab gently to dry.

4. Repeat step 2, except this time, cover the areas that you want to remain yellow. (You may need to go over your design with the pencil again.)

5. Repeat step 3, except this time, dip the egg into the bowl with the orange dye.

6. Repeat step 2, except this time, cover the areas that you want to remain orange. (You may need to go over your design with the pencil again.)

7. Repeat step 3, except this time, dip the egg into the bowl with the red dye.

8. Repeat step 2, except this time, cover the areas that you want to remain red. (You may need to go over your design with the pencil again.)

9. Repeat step 3, except this time, dip the egg into the bowl with the black dye.

10. Let the egg dry thoroughly. Then gently rub off the rubber cement (you might want to have an adult help with this!) to reveal your beautiful egg. To remove the cement, you can use a small hardened ball of rubber cement or a "rubber cement pickup." Those are available at office-supply and art stores and are very handy.

Read all about it!

Books about egg-decorating and pysanky eggs:

Decorating Eggs: Exquisite Designs with Wax & Dye by Jane Pollak
Eggs Beautiful: How to Make Ukrainian Easter Eggs by Johanna Luciow
The Art of Decorating Eggs by Gabriella Szutor
Egg Decoration by Susan Byrd
Easter Eggs for Everyone by Evelyn Coskey
Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco

 
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