Pysanky March 24, 2008

So yesterday was Easter. In preparation I spent Saturday with friends decorating eggs. We of course did do the obligatory Paz dyed eggs but the hostess also had strong toxic acid dyes and styluses for a Batik egg dying called Pysanky. This dying method is traditional in many Eastern European countries. This was a very fun and challenging way to decorate eggs that will last for years to come. The process is pretty labor intensive and complicated but the results are pretty amazing. You basically have to plan out your design, planning backwards from lightest color to darkest color. You draw on the egg with the kystka which is a rod with a tiny funnel at the end. You fill the reservoir with wax and place it near a candle flame to melt the wax in the funnel. You then draw on the egg, etching wax in places you don’t want to be colored.

For example if you want a dark blue egg with pink flowers and light green you would first dip your egg in the pink dye. Then you would use your kystka to draw on the pink flowers. Then you would dip the egg in green dye and draw on the leaves. Finally you would dip the egg in the blue dye. We used both regular white eggs, green Americana eggs, and speckled turkey eggs for a variety of effects. After the eggs are dry you heat the wax and wipe it off to reveal your finished egg. The egg should then be punctured on either end and the innards blown out so the eggshell can last without fear of rotting. Of course traditionally different colors and symbols are full of meaning but our group just had fun experimenting with different looks. I don’t have pictures of my eggs yet because they are still at the hostesses house waiting to be blown out, but I will post them once I get them back. For now I am posting pictures of really good eggs that look nothing like mine.  The one on top is by egg artist Eve Butterly.

We also dyed some eggs using red and yellow onion skins. To do this you remove the onion skins from the onion and soak them in warm water with a little white vinegar until they are soft. you then wrap eggs with the skin and then wrap the eggs in scrap cloth with rubber bands to secure. Next hard boil the eggs in a water/vinegar bath. After removing the cloth there are beautifully dyed eggs in varying shades of browns, tans and yellows. These eggs can be used as a classy and practical centerpiece for Easter brunch as they can be consumed just like regular hard boiled eggs. The ones pictured are much darker than ours but you get the idea.

Finally I am posting some pictures of some really beautiful eggs that artist Franc Grom creates. He uses a tiny elecrical drill to create 2,500 to 3,500 holes in each eggshell. His remind my of the traditional Slovenian designs with a twist!