The Pysanky of Tamara Filas
Pysanky is the art of dyeing eggs using a wax resist method, common in Ukraine and other Slavic countries. One dyed egg is referred to as a pysanka, the singular form of pysanky. It is a common tradition to dye them around Easter. I am half Ukrainian, so I enjoy being able to continue this part of my heritage. My designs are different than some of the traditional pysanky, which uses many common motifs that have historical meanings, generally presented in a symmetrical manner. Mine are more of a free-form type of design, often asymmetrical.
I learned how to make pysanky in April 2002 at my grandmother's church. During the school year of 2003-2004, I was even able to teach ten of my art students how to create their own pysanky. If you would like to read more about it, follow the link to the text I wrote when I taught this art.
A great resource to purchase dyes, beeswax and kistky (the tools used to apply the melted wax), is the Ukrainian Gift Shop, which has been in the business for decades.
Click on each thumbnail to see an enlarged view.
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Chicken egg pysanky, 2002 
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Ostrich pysanka with trilobite design, 2004 This is an ostrich egg. It is the largest egg I've ever created. It was completed April 2004. There is a trilobite (ancient sea creature) of my own design on one side (first picture). Its legs stretch around the sides (second picture) and form the border of an eye (third picture), with an intricate woven pattern at the corners. The last picture is of the bottom. 
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Chicken Egg pysanky photographed individually These were photographed many years after their creation. They are hollowed out, and were displayed by hanging them with a string secured by a button at the bottom. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that sunlight fades the dye over time. Some are not as brilliant as when they were first created, but at least the designs are still quite visible. Although there is no spacing between the photographs of each egg to maintain continuity in its rotated display, you can still click on each of the five images for an enlarged view.
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