Pysanky

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I first learned to write pysanky from Carol Wasylko at St. John’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Johnson City NY, my lifelong parish even after I permanently relocated to Massachusetts. Although I don’t remember exactly when this was, I know that I was a single digit age and that I was deeply discouraged after trying and failing to draw a recognizable chicken.

Following the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and the Revolution of Dignity, I found myself craving a deeper connection with my heritage. I cobbled together all of the supplies that I could in my dorm room that first Easter, and focused all of my attention and anxiety on drawing wobbly wax lines on eggs from the campus convenience store. I have decorated eggs every year since.

I didn’t realize until visiting Ukraine much later in life that my community was a time capsule, in many ways reflecting the culture of Ukraine as it was during the diaspora of the mid 20th century rather than the culture of today. Pysanky, however, are one of the things that have remained relatively unchanged for centuries, and writing them has brought be closer to generations of Ukrainians – from the ancient Pagans who wrote them as a form of sun worship, to the Christians under Soviet rule who practiced in secret to flaunt the ban on religion and avoid arrest or death.

Pysanky are an ancient Ukrainian craft, going back as far as the ancient Trypillians (3500-2700 BCE). Originally a Pagan talisman of spring, the sun, fertility, and life, and then later adopted by Christianity, pysanky are a type of intricately decorated eggs that are believed to protect from harm and evil. They’re typically created using a wax-resist batik dying process, or occasionally etched with vinegar or other acids.

There is an old Hutzul legend that says “If the number of pysanky created each year is low the chains of evil are loosened and evil is free to wander the earth causing havoc and destruction. If, on the other hand, the number of pysanky has increased, the chains of evil are tightened and good triumphs over evil for yet another year.”

This was an exercise in an atypical color scheme for pysanky.
I usually only work in 6 colors – yellow, orange, red, blue, green, and black. Maybe someday I’ll be able to recreate this nice burgundy.
This unusual division was challenging but fun.
This egg, with the Greek hoplite helmet on one side and the acropolis on the other, was inspired by a museum visit.
This was a brown egg etched with vinegar rather than dyed, requiring bolder, heavy lines.
I don’t usually capture animals, but these deer came out pretty nicely.
I made 8 of these interpretations of the HBS crest to thank my most supportive professors during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In April 2025, I created Pysankorova (“written cow”) for CowMOOnity, a juried exhibition in Natick’s Gallery 01760.