Teacher passes on Easter tradition

By Lori O'Brien

Correspondent

HOLYOKE Well-known pisanki artist Carol Kostecki will enlighten children with her expertise and artistry in making pisanki during an upcoming workshop at the Wistariahurst Museum.

"Making Pisanki A Method of Dyeing Easter Eggs," will be offered March 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the museum for children ages 12 and older. Class size is limited so early registration is advised. The fee is $10 and supplies will be provided. For History Ticket Holders, the cost is $7.

"The tradition of decorating eggs in Ukraine dates back to 2,000 B.C.," said Kostecki during an interview with Reminder Publications. "The egg, symbolizing the source of all life, occupied an important place in the ancient rituals."

Kostecki explained that the egg represented a protection against evil and ensured well-being, happiness and health.

"The oldest forms of pisanki designs symbolize the entire universe through the representation of the sun, moon, stars, flowers and animals," she said, adding "with the advent of Christianity to Ukraine in 988 A.D., such symbols as fish, churches and crosses began to appear and eggs played a central role in the yearly celebration of Christ's Resurrection."

Kostecki noted that in addition to design, color also has an important symbolic meaning, including red for happiness and love, yellow for prosperity and fertility, green for an abundance of vegetation, and blue for health.

"The term pisanki comes from the verb pisati, 'to write,' since designs are written on the egg and dyed in a batik process," she added.

Kostecki became interested in the art form after watching a demonstration some 15 years ago at a Ukrainian church during the Easter season.

"I enjoy the mystery of seeing the finished work which you only see when the wax comes off, unlike a painting," she said.

As she fined-tuned her skills, Kostecki was approached by the National Endowment for the Arts in the hopes she would be interested in taking classes from Father Paul Luniw, master pisanki artist, who resides in Terryville, Conn.

"They want to further the ethnic art forms so they will not be lost," she said, noting she has also received inquiries from the Institute for Community Research, the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Kostecki especially enjoys teaching children the art form and said she likes to limit the class size to 12 because of her hands-on help with the students and to keep checking their work as they move from one color to the next.

"Most children enjoy decorating eggs at Easter time and this art form takes it several steps further and it holds their interest," she said. "I only work with children 12 and older because they must work with a candle flame to heat the beeswax which I feel is too dangerous for younger children."

Kostecki noted that the style in Poland and Ukraine are about the same as they represent Easter and Christ's Resurrection, as well as gratitude for family, farm and other blessings.

"Each color has a meaning," she said, adding "designs keep changing continually as all art forms do. Because people and times are always changing, new symbols appear and old ones fade away."

Kostecki briefly described the process that participants will experience (adults are also welcome) that includes the egg first being divided off, followed by a design that is drawn on with a pencil. Next, participants use a tool called a kistka, a tiny metal funnel with a long handle, to trace over the lines with melted beeswax, and then the egg is dipped in dye and dried.

"They repeat this process alternating waxing and dying the egg in progressively darker shades," said Kostecki. "Each new application of wax preserves the most recent dye color. After the last dye is applied, they hold the egg beside a candle flame and wipe off melted wax with a paper towel to reveal a multicolored, patterned shell. Lastly, I apply polyurethane."

For parents seeking an educational and inspiring experience for their children this workshop has history and art to entertain and inspire.

"If children come from a Slavic background they will be doing art that their ancestors probably did," she added.

For more information or to register for the program, call the Wistariahurst Museum on Cabot Street at (413) 534-2216.