Pysanky Writer: Joe Zapach

Blog Post #85

"The whole process is prayer from beginning to end, whether or not that prayer is conscious and intentional. We put into the egg everything we think and feel from the moment of intention.”

— Joe Zapach, Spirit of the Egg, Ukrainian Pysanky as Journey and Symbol

From:

Spirit of the Egg, Ukrainian Pysanky as Journey and Symbol

This description of the steps that Joe uses to create his beautiful pysanky

just might inspire you to do the same.

“The creation of a pysanka begins with choosing the right canvas. I seek for a smooth symmetry with no bumps or rough patches or translucent oily spots. Longer or shorter, thinner or wider: the designs can cater to any shape, but a poor surface will be struggle from the get-go. I open three cartons at the store, and like a switchboard operator of old, I deftly grade and shuffle them from one hollow to the next until I have a dozen just-right eggs... Only once (knock on wood) has my fussiness required a ‘cleanup in aisle fifteen.’

“Prior to their use, I empty each shell of its contents. The prick of a needle.... through that hole comes yolk and white, squeezed out by the pressure of air, then rinsed with a few shakes of water.

“A vinegar wipe-down is the traditional method for cleaning the eggs; Ivory dish soap is a modern alternative… this initial washing and rinsing prepares it for dye- and wax-adhesion. I thereafter hold the egg with a tissue to keep dye-resistant skin oils off the clean surface.

“The planning of the design begins with a layout of pencil lines. The egg is held upright on newsprint and rubbed back and forth with gentle downward pressure to produce a smudge at the two tips. I connect the smudges vertically on both sides to divide the shell’s surface into equal hemispheres. I then create four long slices by adding a second vertical line perpendicular to the first from top to bottom and back again. An equator drawn along the center bulge produces an eight-section…division that opens the egg to the imagination.

“Fancy egg lathes and circular cardstock templates can shore up a shaky confidence; a stretched rubber band around the shell offers a more minimalist approach to straight lines. But an experienced hand can sketch by eye alone, imagining the curved surface as two-dimensional and tracing a half-way line between horizons.

“Pysanky convey my visible, artistic intentions-in-story, and the planning stages often take longer than the egg production itself. I choose the designs and colors to match my highest intentions for its intended recipient. Themes of bounty and fertility for newlyweds. Healing shades of blue for a sick friend. Bright butterflies to celebrate the birth of a child. White-on-black simplicity for the gravesites of the deceased.

“The designs are written on the egg with a kistka stylus: a metal cone affixed to a wooden or plastic handle. The cone is filled with beeswax, heated over a candle flame, and used to draw lines of molten wax on the shell. My electric kistka of choice provides the convenience of constant heat for a steady flow of wax.

“Pysanky technique is described as a “wax-resist” process. I first cover my pencil lines with wax, adding additional design elements to the white shell. I then dip the egg into yellow dye: the wax lines “resist” turning yellow and retain what white shell they protect beneath. I add more wax lines to the yellow sections of the egg, protecting those wax-covered yellow areas throughout the rest of the process. Eggs are dyed from lightest to darkest with yellow traditionally giving way to orange, then red, then black. I add more wax as I go, building the design by covering more of the shell after each color change.

“The egg emerges from the final dye as a ghastly black lump with no hints of the colorful process that came before. I rub a thin layer of olive oil into the shell, and then melt off the wax next to a candle flame. The first tissue wipe is a fireworks-explosion through the blackness as the hidden colors are unveiled. Once the wax is fully removed, I finish each egg with several coats of high-gloss polyurethane varnish to protect and highlight the bright designs; also a final sealing-in of the prayers.

“The culmination is the handing-over of the pysanka to its recipient. The process alone created the prayers, but adding that physical transferal completes the journey from initial intent all the way through to gifting. Once the egg rolls from my hand into theirs, the prayers have been passed along in their fullness and the circle is then complete. “

“The egg itself is mere shell and disguise for a much deeper and indestructible spiritual connection between one heart and another. And that loving connection unbreakably adds something more to the artist, to the recipient, and to the world as a revelation of the Divine through beauty.” —Joe Zapach

Spirit of the Egg, Ukrainian Pysanky as Journey and Symbol.

Peace Affirming Prayer

Peace fills my mind and flows through all my thoughts.

Peace fills my heart and flows through all my love.

Peace fills my soul and goodwill flows to all.

Peace fills my being and permeates all my activities.

Peace within. Peace without. Peace everywhere.

Peace in my mind. Peace in my heart. Peace in my soul.

Peace in me. Peace in my home. Peace in my country. Peace in my world.

Peace everywhere.

Amen.

Ukrainian folklore characterizes pysanky as a symbolic, talismanic writing that invokes a higher Universal Power for help, while believing with faithful certainty that It will. The contemporary version of this characterization is a paper-and-pen journaling practice called prayer writing that develops a personal relationship with God.