Ukrainian art as delicate as the egg it decorates

SPRINGBORO, Pa. - Tami Hritzay's first medium was lipstick.

Her mother was out of the house, her father asleep. Hritzay, left to her own devices, found a stick of bright red. She decorated not only herself, but also her toys.

Decades later, Hritzay still works in vibrant color. But her hands and eyes produce the finer art of her Ukrainian ancestors. It is called

pysanky

- colorful, richly symbolic paintings on eggs, often at Easter.

As water dripped from the ice-coated branches outside her farmhouse in northwestern Crawford County, Hritzay lined up the tools for the ancient art on her kitchen table: a partially burned candlestick; a wide-mouthed Mason jar filled with inky dye; a yellow block of beeswax that looked like an exotic piece of cheese; the

kistka

, a kind of pen used to draw lines of melted wax; and, of course, the eggs, smooth and fresh, bought from Amish neighbors.

The word

pysanky

comes from the Ukrainian word meaning "to write."

Using the

kistka

, Hritzay shaved off a tiny chunk of beeswax and heated it over the candle flame. She ran a fine thread of melted wax around an egg, tracing out a star pattern and sprays of fernlike leaves meant to represent wheat.

The wax created the first layer of design. Hritzay then dunked the egg in the dye-filled jar. Seconds later, the egg surfaced a rich ruby red, the wax lines glowing white.

Hritzay decided what part of the design she wanted to preserve as red. She traced more wax there, then dunked the egg in deep blue dye. It emerged rich purple.

Had she wanted, she could have continued, by applying more layers of color and design, always staying conscious of how the dyes would interact.

Instead, she held the two-color egg up to the candle flame, just until the wax lines softened and melted enough to wipe away with a paper towel. She was left with a purple egg, featuring a white-edged red star and white wheat sheaves.

The eggs to Hritzay mean life. Especially around tax time, when she sells them. But creating the eggs also remains a contemplative exercise.

When Hritzay was 8, bone cancer invaded her left leg. Doctors found it. Three days later, they amputated her leg.

Now 50 years old and a grateful cancer survivor, she walks on her 15th prosthetic replacement.

The days after that diagnosis and surgery - so many years ago - were dark and confusing.

But with her parents' encouragement, she pursued her love of art at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a bachelor's degree in art education.

She now teaches art classes at places such as Pennsylvania State University Behrend and the Chautauqua Institution. Hritzay paints murals for local businesses, churches and homeowners. And year-round, though especially at Easter, she paints

pysanky

.