Pysanky Eggs

Update on "From Here to There" Post.  Brittany reports that steps 1, 2, and 3 are complete.  Scroll down to see that Post.


 As we entered the season of Lent, several of us at St. Mark's met to consider what events might enhance our experiences of Lent and I offered to make Pysanky eggs and show anyone who would like, how to do it.  However, as the planning went on, it became clear that I was just going to be returning from a three week trip to Belize and might not want to organize this.  Instead, we invited, Jolanta Feliciano, a member of the New Mexico School of Sacred Arts and a Pysanky Egg Artist, to facilitate this class.  We met on a Saturday at St. Mark's on the Mesa.

Jolanta Feliciano cleaning the inside of a student's egg.

Drawing the Design onto the egg.

 I decided to brush up my skills and attend the class as a student.  What a gift this time was.  In the company of other very creative people (most of them artists themselves) we laughed and learned and shared ideas.  Jolanta was a terrific teacher and taught me many things that I had not discovered on my own.  The most important...BUY AND ELECTRIC KISTKA!  A steady temperature and no wax leaking out in blobs made it a joy to work all afternoon and not ruin a single egg.

All plugged in!

Annelise saving the white on her design.  The wooden lath helps keep your lines straight.  You can also use rubber bands to divide the egg into even spaces.

Her grandmother, Emily starting her design.

Pat's deep rich gold is her second color.

Lin Marksbury goes graphic.

Annelise likes the purple on top of her turquoise. Wondering where to get the great egg dipper?  An oriental food market! Mine is from Talin Market

Egg is completely dyed, now to remove the wax!

After drilling a hole in the bottom with a dremel,  Jolanta removes the insides by pumping water into the shell which forces the egg out.

Some finished eggs...none of which are mine...will show you those later.

If you are one of my Albuquerque readers, you can sign up to take a class.   Jolanta will be offering a class at San Gabriel Mission church in Corrales on March 24.  Call her at  505-507-7840 or email her at jolafel@msn.com for more information.   

If you want to order supplies and learn by trial and error, like I did initially, here is a link to a great supplier The Ukrainian Gift Shop.  Happy Dyeing and have a blessed Lent.