"She grasped the kistka the way Baba
had taught her and, with its warm beeswax
flowing like ink, Marie sketched a story, a
wish, a prayer, a gift.
Symbols of swirling, golden wheat.
Blue flowers for beauty.
Rays of sunshine, streaming bright.
Roosters clucking at the sky.
After each design, Marie dipped
the egg in different colors. Ruby
red and brilliant black were her
favorites. Then, just like Baba,
Marie stitched a cloth with embroidery
to wrap the eggs."
Marie's early life was spent in Ukraine, where she painted eggs for Easter with her baba; pysanky is an old and important cultural tradition. When Russia invaded her country, Marie and her family were forced to flee to America, leaving Baba behind them. On her own, and on her way to live with a brother in Canada, the train stopped and Marie got off in Minneapolis. Searching for other Ukrainians, she was pointed to a home where she found her favorite cousin from back home. Fate had brought her to the right place!
Marie worked hard, learning English and living in a Ukrainian community of immigrants who were much like her. Her desire to make pysanky in the spring led to the discovery that there was no one else making her beloved eggs. Marie took up the task herself.
"Holding a hen's fresh egg, Marie sketched a story, a wish, a prayer, a gift.
Birds for protection and wishes to come true.
Golden wheat for enough to eat.
Rays of sun to shine on her new life in America.
Cradling the pysanka in her hands felt like holding a
piece of her homeland and giving Baba a hug."
Russia was destroying Ukrainian culture after WWI and pysanky disappeared as if it had never been. Marie worked hard to keep the art alive and thriving. When Marie met and married Tony Procai, a fine baker, Tony recognized her love for pysanky and designed a kistka to enhance her talent. Soon, she was teaching her children the art. The death of her son in WWII found Marie and her daughters working to create eggs to encourage strength for those fighting.
Following the end of the war, many Ukrainian immigrants made their way to a new life in America. Marie and Tony welcomed all who came to their door. Marie and her daughter opened a gift shop for Ukrainian products in their living room; the two also invented the first pysanky kits and mailed them to people wanting to make their own. The business flourished, and moved. Now, their gift shop was supplying pysanky kits around the world. Making pysanky was no longer confined to Easter, it was every day work.
"For the legend goes that as long as pysanky are decorated,
there will be good in the world."
An intriguing biography of a remarkable artist (1897-1994), with eye-catching and equally inspiring mixed-media artwork done in the national colors of Ukraine, this book concludes with extensive and informative connections to the author's heritage, Marie's family life and work, archival photos, and also includes a pronunciation guide, the art and legend of pysanka, a guide to creating pysanky, a playlist for listening while working, and a list of museums where you can see the beauty of the eggs firsthand.
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