Article by Maria Rypan, Spring 2011
Hot off the press! In time for Easter! My article about "Beaded "Pysanky Eggs" has just been published in the Canadian needle arts magazine, A Needle Pulling Thread, Spring 2011, pgs. 90-93.
"Pysanky", batik-style Easter eggs, are inherently Ukrainian. Purists shudder at the beaded "pysanka's" very existence. Some artists refer to the traditional motifs and designs for inspiration, but use beads to decorate eggs so the patterns become stylized. Personally, I think there is a place for beaded eggs in this day and age. They may not have the talismanic powers of the real "pysanky", but they are beautiful and bring joy to the recipients.
This article talks about the different ways of applying beads on eggs in a "pysanka" style. Photos illustrate various methods and give an appreciation of how each and every bead is applied or beadwoven. Since no two eggs are the same, the article gives plenty of guideline for beading your own.
Several artists beaded "pysanky" illustrate the different application (gluing or beeswax) or beadweaving methods. Many photos and tips come from Vira Pavlova Witkovska's work. Vira is holding her butterfly ostrich egg while I show off her trident ("tryzub") egg at my last visit to the Vernisage in Lviv. Ivano Frankivsk teacher Maria Golovan kindly provided me with the step by step beadweaving photos and basket full of "beadwoven" pysanky. There's even a bead embroidered and stuffed one in the basket! There's no end to creativity!
Spring 2011, ISSN 1715-4650
Thank you to editor Carla Comanico for suggesting this article after she receiving my metric carton of beaded "pysanky" card. Get your issue for the maximum appreciation of this art form and other needle art projects.
