A Basket Of Pysanky

Day 156: Making pysanky is a craft I haven't done in close to twenty years, largely because I was unable to find supplies in my pre-internet days, but I've hung onto the tools in case the mood ever strikes me again. I normally work with an electric kistka (the "pen" which applies the wax to the egg), but I've only shown the traditional kistkas here.

Pysanky are made using whole raw eggs. Melted wax is applied with the kistka, first covering all areas of the egg which the artist wants to remain white. The egg is then put into the lightest-colored dye bath (usually yellow). The next waxing covers the areas which are to be left yellow, and so on down the line, the egg steeping in progressively darker dyes until it reaches the final bath (usually dark blue or black). When the egg is removed from the final dye bath, it is lightly heated over a candle and the wax is carefully wiped away. Then it is varnished. Once the varnish is dry, the tricky task of removing the white and yolk is initiated. A small hole is made in either end of the egg and a metal stirrer is used to perforate the yolk. Some artists blow the "middles" out by mouth, but it is much safer to use an egg-blowing bulb such as the one shown to the left of the lathe. Care must be taken not to exert too much pressure because eggs do occasionally burst during the removal of their insides. Once the interior has been rinsed with water, the eggs are left to dry out for a couple of weeks before the holes are sealed with wax. The dyes used in making pysanky are generally not light-fast, so these remarkable "Easter eggs" should be kept out of sun or bright light.