Ukrainian Eggs

I love traditions, keeping the old ones alive and creating new ones. My mom introduced the art of Ukrainian eggs when my sister and I were teenagers. We all cherish the eggs that we decorated all those years ago. 

 

I had the desire to begin this tradition with my family too. So, when my daughter was around five or six years old we created some together. Then I invited our friends over to share in experience of this special technique of egg decorating.

I look forward to making them year after year... buying more supplies from the jovial man at the local Ukrainian shop... preparing the dyes... the smell of melted beeswax... well, the entire process.

 

My son decorated his first egg when he was four years old. This year he began a design over and over again before he was happy with it. Well, his art is in an egg carton waiting for the wax to be melted off. I wasn't sure what design or idea I wanted to create yet, so I used the eggs that my son discarded and began to create designs from his first marks. 

 

I was also inspired by my sister's patience and decided to create a more detailed egg along with a few other designs.

 

We had many opportunities to decorate eggs during the week before Easter. The following were created by my daughter...

New York Street Art

Strolling in New York was invigorating and inspiring for all the colorful street art that was on view for all to behold...art on tall buildings, sculptures, accidental art and art that one needed to closely observe to discover.

I began documenting everything that delighted me... colors, shapes, design and message. Slowly, I began to perceive the art within its surroundings...moving away from documenting to creating a new image...one that spoke directly to me.

Here is a mix of both purposely ordered for a continuous flow from one image to the next.