Easter Pysanka

I've been saving this beautiful Vegreville pysanka statue / weather vane for this season. Here it is today -- a week before Good Friday.

We stopped in Vegreville on our trip through Alberta last fall to photograph this largest pysanka in the world. It was put up in 1974 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP and to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Vegreville community. Hubby, standing at its base, gives an idea of its size.


Pysanka are traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs. They are made with chicken eggs using a batik process, where wax, funneled through the tip of an instrument that's as fine as a pen (stylus), provides a resist to many baths of dye. The end result is amazingly intricate and colorful.

My husband is of Ukrainian descent and his mom had her own collection of pysanka -- not made by her, though.

For a detailed description of the process and explanation of what the colors signify, visit "Art of Ukrainian Pysanka" by artist and muralist Patricia Buzo of -- Patricia's Palette.

For a collection of hand-made pysanka that spans years, check out Luba Petrusha's Annual Collections gallery. Click on each year (top) to view the collection of that year's pysanka. Absolutely stunning!

murals to fool and pleasure the eye

Patricia Buzo is a muralist who lives and works in Minnesota. She specializes in trompe l'oeil (to fool the eye) murals as well as painted tapestry hangings and decorative designs.

I will whet your appetite with just one of her beautiful tapestry murals (which has obviously been designed with her client's tastes and collections in mind). Another view of the same piece can been seen here.


Clicking on any image on her gallery page takes you to enlarged views and details, information about the location of the mural, an explanation of technique and media, even some photos of the work in progress.

Her elegant web site also has a history page, where you can learn a lot about decorative painting, trompe l'oeil and murals.

Finally, don't miss her blog, where she posts on topics as diverse as Ukranian Pysanka and the marbles of the world.