BELMAR — The Belmar Arts Center (BAC) was home to a class of seven eager artists who came last Saturday afternoon to learn pysanky, the art of Ukrainian egg decorating.
Art coach Jenny Santa Maria teaches the art, history and culture of pysanky, the ancient Ukrainian art of egg decorating that has remained a large part of Slavic tradition for thousands of years.
“An art coach is someone who helps you navigate perfectionism and self-doubt, and all these ugly feelings that come with making, and I do attribute the eggs to that,” said Santa Maria. “When you work on eggs long enough it kind of does change you a little bit, you understand how to let go, how to let be and then you almost embrace possibility and surprise.”
Pysanky, coming from the Ukrainian word “pysaty” meaning “to write,” is an art form that uses a “kistka,” a hot wax pen with beeswax to create designs.
Heated by candle flame, the wax is drawn onto the surface of the egg in a variety of designs. From there, the egg is dipped into aniline dyes, then drawn on with wax again, dipped again until the desired design and color is achieved. The additional leftover wax is then removed by melting it off, and the final product is revealed.
Santa Maria was first introduced to the world of pysanky when she was just 19 by a close family friend while babysitting her young child. Not having a daughter of her own, she offered to share the art of pysanky with Santa Maria, which years later kickstarted her career in teaching the art across the state.
“That’s a really important origin story to this, as a non-Ukrainian woman. I learned in a very traditional sense, in a very traditional circumstance and really, at its core, the message is that it’s always passed on through the mother,” said Santa Maria. “It goes through the matrilineal line, always.”
“It’s one of the few art forms on earth today that get passed that way, aside from henna…that’s been the case for thousands of years,” she said. “The whole art form is about creating to give away, it’s all about love and giving.”
Traditional pysanky are often dyed in white, yellow, red and black, due to the fact that dyes were often made from natural materials that were harvested during the fall season.
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