Producing Pysanky
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Completed eggs are covered in a thin layer of polyurethane before being placed on a drying rack to harden. After the polyurethane is dry, tiny holes are drilled into the egg to remove the yolk so that the shell can be kept without the egg spoiling.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A tool is heated over a candle flame and is used to not only melt beeswax but to draw intricate designs on an egg shell to create Pysanky eggs. Several layers of beeswax are used in between different color dyes to block the dye from penetrating certain areas. This creates the colorful patterns seen on a completed egg.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
An egg with pencil drawings covered in beeswax sits in a special Pysanky egg dye during a class on the art at the Monongahela Library on March 10.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Cindy Scherer, right, of Eighty Four checks the dye progress of her Pysanky egg during a class she attended with her friend Pam Lovat of Smock.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Auralyn Kimokeo-Mitomi of Monongahela teaches a Pysanky egg-decorating class at the Monongahela Area Library in Monongahela. Kimokeo-Mitomi has taught classes for the last several years after it was suggested to her by someone at a local coffee shop where she was selling eggs she created. She learned how to decorate the eggs from her art teacher at the former Carroll Middle School in the Ringgold School District.
Every year when Easter rolls around, individuals and families head to the grocery store to buy eggs, hard-boil them and dye them bright colors. It’s a tradition that dates back centuries in several different cultures.
Pysanky, the traditional Ukrainian version of Easter eggs, are covered in colorful patterns and symbols. Designs are drawn with pencil on a blank, non-boiled egg and then selectively covered with lightly melted beeswax that is drawn on with a stylus tool. Once an initial layer of beeswax is placed on the egg, the egg is then dipped in a special dye made just for Pysanky creations.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Traditionally, beeswax is removed by melting it with the flame of a candle. But melting doesn’t always work best in a class setting with those learning the art for the first time, as the flame can easily create a soot that cannot be removed. Lighter fluid is used instead as a solvent to dissolve the wax.
After the first layer of dye is dry, more wax is applied to create another pattern and the whole process is repeated until the design is complete. The wax is removed after the last layer of dye and the entire design is revealed. Eggs are then covered with a polyurethane or other clear protective coat. Once dry, a small hole is drilled in the bottom and the egg yolks emptied with a special bellow.
Pysanky is an art-form that anyone can learn, said Auralyn Kimokeo-Mitomi of Monongahela. Kimokeo-Mitomi teaches Pysanky classes, including a class from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Monongahela Area Library.
Information on how to make Pysanky eggs and other classes can be found at www.washlibs.org/monongahela.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Donnis Headley of Monongahela colors in areas on an egg with beeswax before dipping it into another egg dye color. The wax prevents the next color layer from sticking in the areas where the wax is applied.