& Jewelry
Description
of the Process…
Pysanky
is an ancient Ukrainian folk art, which decorates eggs using beeswax and dyes.
A
kistka is used to“draw” the design on the egg with the wax. I began by using
a manual kistka, which is basically a stick with a brass funnel on the end,
which holds a small amount of beeswax. The tip with the funnel is held above a
candle until the wax melts to liquid. Then, it may be applied to the egg. Now, I
use an electric version, which allows for a constant consistency of the wax, and
no down time reheating the kistka over aflame.
The design begins by drawing on a plain white egg with hot beeswax. When the egg is then dipped into the first color dye (we’ll say “yellow”), the areas covered with the wax remain untouched (white). The kistka is then used to draw the designs that are to remain yellow. The egg is then dipped into the next dye color. As the process continues, wax is added to the egg to keep the desired colors in the appropriate places. When the final color has been completed, the dye is melted off of the entire egg, exposing the finished design! It is truly like unwrapping a present! The egg is then blown out and painted with a clear coating.