This journey began when I was a 19-year-old art student, juggling small jobs and babysitting for a family friend to make ends meet. Each night, after putting her son to bed, I noticed something curious- she never left the house! Instead, she would disappear into the basement for hours. My curiosity got the best of me.  I'll never forget the sight: her silhouette illuminated by the flicker of a flame, working intently with tools I didn't recognize.  Moved by my genuine interest, she invited me to sit with her, to teach me as a daughter, honoring the way this knowledge is traditionally passed. What she shared was a drawing technique preserved through maternal lineage in Slavic cultures.  It was harder than she made it look, but she assured me that what mattered more was doing it, practicing, and passing it on. I knew immediately that I had fallen in love with the art form. 

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        In between writing papers and painting still lifes, I'd always make time to work on eggs. In many dorm rooms and apartments, friends and roommates would gather in the spring to learn.  Many years later, an encouraging arts director encouraged me to design a pysanky workshop for her center- and the response was immediate and overwhelming. As I continued to teach, I began hearing stories; families whose lives were fractured by the World Wars, who fled to survive, leaving behind loved ones and the traditions they longed to reclaim.  I had no idea until I started teaching how privileged I was to have been taught such a desired art process as an outsider.  With deeper study came a sense of responsibility: this is the oldest surviving artistic practice on Earth, still true to its original process.

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     March is a highly anticipated month when I travel up and down the East Coast to museums, community spaces, and libraries to pass on this meditative art form. I’ve had the honor of teaching and empowering thousands of people through the years, especially those who arrive in beautifully embroidered heirlooms! These thoughtfully facilitated workshops create space for meaningful conversations around family history, cultural resilience, and the preservation of tradition.  First- timers at the process leave these workshops not only with a precious heirloom in their hands, but with a deeper understanding of the history, the culture, the art—and themselves. 

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    Pysanky is traditionally associated with spring; a season when ancient peoples celebrated and honored the sun and life force through mystical and magical rites. Emerging from early agrarian cultures that honored cooperation and the cycles of life, the egg became a symbol of renewal, abundance, and humanity’s intimate relationship with the natural world. Though our world is unsteady and shaped by conflict and unrest, these eggs endure as benevolent talismans today. It speaks to the remarkable resilience of a craft carried forward for nearly 7,000 years. It is a high honor to teach this craft across the country, creating spaces that celebrate life, honor our shared humanity, and carry forward a timeless message of hope and peace on Earth.