My involvement in the arts at school was mainly in music, playing the flute and oboe in the band through high school and college. The only art class I took was in Junior high school, although I greatly enjoyed it! I have always loved doing arts and crafts and have tried many, such as drawing, stained glass, candlemaking, crochet, basket weaving, stamping, sewing, cross stitch, painting, etc. on my own time. I decided to go the practical route at university and majored in Biology, with a sprinkling of other things that interested me, like art history, and the Russian language. So when I saw a book on Ukrainian eggs at the University bookstore soon after I graduated, I was naturally interested in it and that’s how I discovered this art. I bought the book for my grandmother, who had geese and loved to decorate their eggs. I ended up trying it myself, and once I did, there was no going back and I loved to do it in my spare time.
How I Learned
When I first started out doing this craft, I used a set of design books written by Luba Perchyshyn of the Ukrainian Gift Shop, which made it easy to learn and made me want to do more and more. So I ventured onto the internet where I discovered forums of egg artists and websites dedicated to Ukrainian egg art. There I learned many tips and techniques from people who have been making pysanky for many years, or who were brought up making them in their families.
How I Started Selling
I worked as a biologist for several years but started selling eggs on ebay and craft shows and made my first website as well. When I got married and had my first child I decided to be a stay at home mom. While my baby napped, I worked on eggs and started my Etsy shop, Dandylion Eggs. As my kids have gotten older, I have been able to spend more time doing this hobby that I love.
What I Love about Pysanky
My favorite part of making pysanky is holding the warm egg in my hand after melting the wax off, while I marvel at the design and colors that have just been revealed. It never gets old, even if I have done the same design several times!
I enjoy making traditional and diasporan ukrainian pysanky designs that can be found in many different books on pysanky and design books, as well as coming up with my own contemporary designs, and sometimes mixing up the two. I draw inspiration from anything I find beautiful or interesting. I love the symbolism and the different meanings that can go into the egg, as if the egg itself is telling a story, or giving someone a blessing or wishes for their life.
