The art of Ukrainian painted egg, or the Pysanka, dates back to ancient times. Ukrainian Pysanka eggs typically made to be given to family members and respected outsiders. The painted eggs were sort of like greeting cards in the days before Hallmark.
The art of Ukrainian painted egg, or the Pysanka, dates back to ancient times. Farming used to be one of the predominant occupations in Ukraine. The farmers had many customs involving the use of decorated eggs. Like rolling an egg in green oats or burying it in the field to ensure a good crop. If a farmer kept bees, he would often put an egg beneath the hive; a bowl of decorated eggs was often kept in the home in the belief that they would keep the family healthy.
Ukrainian Pysanka eggs typically made to be given to family members and respected outsiders. The painted eggs were sort of like greeting cards in the days before Hallmark.
Traditional method of painting chicken eggs is similar to batik – patterns are drawn on the egg shell with wax, which then protects the covered areas from the dye that is applied. By repeating this process with different colors of dye, a multi-colored pattern is built up.
For centuries artists have preserved the wonderful culture of making Easter eggs by using creative vision, amazing patience and only a few simplistic tools, with their hands. Along with traditional Pysanky we can find decorative eggs made of different media including wood, glass, ceramic and porcelain.
Floral Painted Eggs
Black lacquer painting has been used in Ukraine to create all sorts of decorative wooden objects. This technique is a variation of Russian Palekh miniatures, and begins by coating a small wooden object with black paint. An intricate scene is then painted over the black background – icons, scenes from folk tales, landscapes, and the most common flowers. Once the paint is dry, it is coated with several coats of varnish – lacquer until the wooden objet has a perfect glossy finish.
You may select hand turned and painted floral decorative wooden Easter eggs produced by professional decorative artists in Kyiv, Ukraine using the ‘Kyiv painting’ style, based on traditional folk ‘Petrykivka’ Art. Each artist develops its own pattern by following the style canons, making each painted egg unique. Designs may vary however, they always follow the canons of the floral painting style.
Miniature Painted Eggs
The process starts by coating a small wooden object with black paint. Then an intricate detailed scene is hand painted over the black background. Ukrainian wooden miniature painted eggs define and characterize the talents of an artist because of how intricately detailed the art is. The most common themes painted are icons, scenes from folk tales and landscapes of country life.
