Pysanky

Scroll down for resources about pysanky. Here are pictures from our project:



Resources for Pysanky (and how to connect them with language)

Where to get supplies: Ukrainian Gift Shop http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com (651) 638-9700

Sue Steves states: What is a symbol on "pysanka"? It is a word picture, an ideogram, a code, containing the secrets of a culture. More effectively than words it reveals feelings: love, happiness, hope, dread, despair, etc. To those who understand symbolic art, it means something, and to those who cannot decipher the code, it remains a mystery. The sense of mystery is inherent because each pysanka involves a trinity of symbolisms: the symbolism of the egg itself (life), the symbolism of design, and the symbolism of color. []

Pysanky (-y = plural in Urkainian; one egg is a pysanka) are eggs that are decorated with symbols related to Christianity and also the desire for good luck, wealth, etc. Like the American quilt or Irish fisherman sweater knitting (or so many other cultures and cultural productions), the lines on the eggs are not just decorative; they have meaning that are agreed on culturally. Working with symbols instead of words allows students to consider how things come to make meaning.

[] Has lesson plan using a Patricia Polacco book.

Another good aspect of pysanky is the type of thinking they require. Pysanky are created with a wax resist technique. This means when you plan an egg you have to think ahead. You cannot use a light dye over a dark dye, so you have to plan the colors you are going to use from light to dark. Also, you have to plan your design from light to dark. The first lines you draw on the egg are the lines that you want to be white. If you want black outlines, actually you never wax those in because black is the last dye you use. After you have drawn on your white lines (covered those areas in wax), then you dip the egg in the lightest dye you plan to use (often yellow). Then you draw your yellow lines using wax and dip the egg in the next darkest color.

Wax resist methods make you have to think backwards compared with how we usually draw a picture or create an image. It's good for the brain to have challenging thinking tasks.

Some notes about pysanky: Use raw eggs. If you blow the gook out of the eggs, they will become very fragile. You cannot eat pysanky because of the dyes, so hard boiling them isn't really a good idea. If you use raw eggs and keep them where they are exposed to air, over the course of a couple of years the insides will dry up and you can tell that has happened because the eggs will become light weight! There's a science lesson in there about the permeability of eggs and the evaporation of water. When you keep the eggs, be sure you keep them someplace safe because a year old pysanka that breaks makes an unpleasant smell!! Think sulfuric acid (which, come to think of it, is another science lesson).

The process of wiping off the wax when you are done is a magical one. First of all, it is an occasion for considering the strength of the egg (as in the science lesson we experienced by throwing raw eggs into a sheet) because it takes some effort to wipe off the wax. It is real easy and real difficult at the same time to break an egg at this stage of the art. Secondly, as the design appears from the wax, you get to see how you did and what you imagined suddenly becomes real.