rss
mobile
Feeds
Pysanky is a Ukrainian art form in which a hollowed egg is intricately decorated using waxes and dyes.
Eggs traditionally are crafted during the last week of Lent and given as gifts.
Beaufort resident Linda Priest has been making pysanky eggs for the past 16 Easters.
She now teaches classes and holds demonstrations at local elementary schools about the intricate art.
Priest explains the art of an Easter egg.
Question. What was it that appealed to you about pysanky?
Answer. The tradition. My husband and I met at Parris Island in 1973. He was Polish, a very strong Polish background. He loved the Polish tradition. My grandparents were Yugoslavian. Easter was always important to us. When I saw this, I became fascinated.
That was back in 1984. At that time, my son, Tony, was four years old. When he got into second grade, I went back and got my degree. So the eggs had been intermittent up until this year.
I've taught classes at (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) and at (ARTworks), and I've donedemonstrations at schools. It's brought this joy back to me.
Q. How long does it take you to make one pysanky Easter egg?
A. If I start with a chicken egg and I have no interruptions, I can finish it in two to two and half hours.
You start with the pencil and make a light sketch. And you use the tool, the kistka. You dip it in wax and heat it with a candle. Then you draw the lines in wax and dip it in the dye, like a yellow dye so everything will be yellow except for what's under the wax.
Then you draw more lines and everything you've drawn under that will be in yellow. Then you keep dipping and drawing and you continue it like that.
At the end, you hold the egg next to a candle to heat (and remove) the wax, and it reveals all the colors.
That's the part the kids really like.
Q. Was it hard to get it down at first?
A. It takes patience. I'm really excited to work with children. It's really calming. I tell them you can't rush. It just takes time. Everything's so rush-rush, so this is a chance to really slow down.
Q. My problem is that I'd be afraid of dropping it.
A. It happens. I have. I've had some special project, and I go to clean it up and I ruin it.
But it's just an egg. It's not the end of the world.
