More than patience for Pysanki

Photo from: How To: The Ancient Art of Pysanki
by A. K. Andrews

Years ago, I was sent on an assignment to explore the ancient art of Pysanki being produced by a small group of ladies from an area Orthodox Catholic church.

My editor had recently returned from an extended Eastern European trip with her father to find long-lost relatives not long after Glasnot under Mikhail Gorbachev had made those regions more accessible.

Freshly filled with the inspiration of the folk art crafts and dress she had discovered there, she was on a mission to un-earth similar roots in the states and it was I who was elected to investigate the art of these intricately-colored eggs.

I found when I arrived in the basement of the church where the group of ladies met and plied this amazing craft, that not only had I been volunteered to write the feature story, but had also been volunteered to be "taught" the art of the eggs ~ much to my surprise.

In some endeavors in life, I could be considered "somewhat" artistic ~ in other areas, I have found long ago that I have no talent at all and so have forgone ever again attempting to learn the art of such things as oil painting for instance. However the ancient craft of Pysanki was something new to me at the time (appearing to be more graphic than artistic) and so I good-naturedly gave it my best try.

Now, it should be said that one cannot expect to walk into a church basement and produce one of these beauties in the space of an hour or two ~ unless they are unusually talented and/or have a lot of prior experience in doing so.

And it also should be noted that the group of ladies who patiently tried to teach me the craft had been decorating these marvels since childhood ~ so they did in fact have a few years ~ rather, decades ~ of experience on me.

Pysanki can be learned by a novice to the craft, but it takes more than patience. It also requires an extremely steady hand as well as an artistic knack for intricate pattern (or at least the ability to copy a pattern already executed).

While personal instruction by an expert in this fine art may be preferred, excellent detailed instructions can also be found on the web, such as "How To; The Ancient Art of Pysnaki" by A. K. Andrews (which can be found by clicking here).

Mainly attributed to Ukranian and Carpathian area cultures, the art of Pysanki has been wide-spread over most of Eastern Europe and into many parts of the old Soviet Union. The preferred "canvas" for this ancient art are the larger goose and duck eggs ~ which have their insides blown out through small holes and are delicate canvases to handle.

Luckily however, one need not rely solely on their own artistic talents to have one or more of these eggs to enjoy and own. Many Orthodox Catholic churches still have groups who practice this craft ~ or who perhaps can at least direct someone in the right direction to where some may possibly be for sale.

They seem to be more difficult to find as time goes on and perhaps as less and less people learn and practice this fine craft. However occasionally one might find in larger cities a splendid source such as the Romanian Folk Art Museaum in Philadelphia who are exhibiting and selling Pysanki eggs through April 22nd, 2009 (found by clicking here).

Some of their offerings appear in the photo to the right, and they also offer an interesting history and regional claim on their web page.

However, no matter what region claims this wonderfully intricate art as their own ~ or in which country they are actually made ~ the eggs are pieces of timeless beauty sure to bring years of enjoyment to anyone possessing one or more.

And while one may not have the patience and talent to produce one of these marvels, it certainly does not preclude the patience to enormously appreciate the exquisite results of this ancient craft.
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