The Decorative Eggs Workshop is an egg-batiking workshop led by Paul Wirhun, one of the world’s leading practitioners of the Ukrainian art called pysanky. Wirhun, MA, Philosophy, Caltholic University of America, has exhibited his work in galleries in Provincetown, New Orleans, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore and New York. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the book Decorative Eggs: Exquisite Designs with Wax and Eggs. Like the beading workshop, this exercise is quiet and internal. The sweet aroma of melting beeswax and the pungent air of vinegar are earthy and evocative. The egg the student decorates symbolizes the gift the hero brings back to the community. Since the workshop usually comes sometime around Mother’s Day, students often give their eggs to their mothers.

Students have three days to complete the project. The first day is instruction, preliminary design, and practice. The second and third days are for the decoration of the eggs. First, one makes pysanky by drawing on the curved surface of an egg with a stylus that is held in a candle flame until the beeswax placed in the funnel flows freely onto the egg. One then covers each layer of color with beeswax and immerses the egg into a dye bath. The wax is removed by baking the egg in the oven for several minutes.

Supplies include beeswax, candles, goose eggs, dyes, styluses, paper towels, soap, latex gloves and vinegar.