Eggcellent adventure...

 Rachel and I received an intriguing invitation to gather at the home of one of her friend's parents to create pysanky eggs. There are a million wonderful things about raising a child; one of them is that I have met some of my favorite people through her. Kathy and Scott hosted today's gathering. Going to their house is a treat because it is incredibly cozy and filled with beautiful things. The kind of home that begs you to choose a book from the shelves that line the walls and curl up on the soft sofa for a long, peaceful day of quiet bliss. 

A big bed of snowdrops greeted us outside. A foreshadowing of the delights that awaited as the day unfolded. The house was deliciously warmed by the woodstove and smelled of scones baking. An orange tree bloomed and fruited in a sunny window. 

Although I had heard the name of the famous Ukrainian eggs and had seen pictures of them, I had no idea how the beautiful designs on them were created. Kathy had the table set, so everyone had a place to try their hand at the art. 

An egg, a wedge of beeswax, and a candle were the basics of the recipe. Kathy patiently explained the process. 

We chose a stylus and heated it over the candle. Then scooped a little beeswax into it. Next, we drew a design in wax onto the egg. Since this was my first time doing this, and I am not particularly artistic, I went with a very simple drawing. Most of the other people at the table had done this before and were more confident and bold.

 Images were drawn in wax, the egg was dunked in the dye for a bath, then more images applied, and another layer of pigment was added if desired. Lighter shades were used first, then darker colors as the process went on. 

This egg was created by Kathy, who is very artistic and has lots of pysanky experience. Here is my rather sad attempt... a goat! Just one color of dye. 

Once the process is completed, one holds the egg near the flame until the wax melts. It is then wiped away, bit by bit.

Some of the eggs in this basket are 50 years old. The liquids inside have dried, leaving just the fragile beauty of shell and dye remaining. 

One woman at the table created a unique,  intricate, multi-layered design. As she was finishing up,  melting the wax and wiping it off, the egg shattered in her grasp. We all gasped. She shrugged, prosaic. Art imitates life... sometimes things are going along beautifully until they are not. 

But today was all maple scones, snowdrops, and beauty. It was an eggcellent day.