Some decorating methods more egg-stravagant than others

Photo by Drew Van Wagenen
Artist Brian Baity uses quail and ostrich eggs for Easter carving creations.

The dyeing and painting of eggs during Easter has developed over the years to become an evolving art form. Whether drilling or waxing them, there are different methods to make egg decoration more exciting this year.

Brian Baity, an egg carver located in West Valley City, started carving eggs in 2005.

“They have classes at Treeline in Provo and at Profitable Hobbies in Orem,” Baity said. “The Dremel tool can be purchased from craft stores like Michaels or Roberts.”

He recommends that students take a class or simply purchase the tool and experiment. Baity advised students to start with a basic design and to keep practicing.

“I started by carving circles,” he said. “It teaches you how to control the tool and then you can branch off. Teach yourself to stay in the line and then when you move on to other patterns, you have that muscle memory.”

Baity suggests using bigger eggs because their thickness and hardness make them easier to work with. He said goose eggs are easy to find and are inexpensive.

Baity said carving eggs takes some patience because it is time-consuming.

“But for basic designs, anyone can do it,” he said.

For the people of Ukraine, most of them grew up decorating eggs using a wax resist process. These eggs are called pysanky.

“The process of wax resist involves drawing wax on an egg and placing it through a series of dyes from lightest to darkest,” said Cathy Witbeck, a Ukrainian egg instructor from Salt Lake City. “When the egg is complete, the wax is melted off, the egg is varnished to protect the dye and the egg is blown out.”

Ukrainian eggs often have symbols on them or convey a message.

“In the past, the people who didn’t know how to read and write would just draw pictures and symbols,” said Ingrid Hersman, who teaches pysanky classes in the area. “A whole egg given as a gift was a blessing, or whatever feeling you had as you dyed it were transferred into the eggs and then passed on to the receiver. It’s like taking more time to write a greeting card.”

Both Witbeck and Hersman suggest going to learnpysanky.com for a step-by-step process on how to do it and to ukrainiangiftshop.com for supplies.

“The tools that you need are beeswax, a tool for applying the wax called a kistka, a stick with a brass funnel on the end and, of course, dyes,” Witbeck said.

Hersman said pysanky is unique because it is done over an open flame and people are attracted to the darker colors that can be produced.

“Anyone can learn how to make pysanky,” Witbeck said. “You don’t have to follow a prescribed pattern to make an egg that you like. Some people that I have taught have made truly artistic eggs with their first try. Others just have fun with it and plan on getting better at it as they go along.”