March 28- Ukranian Eggs – Robin Bernstein

Class Description: Psanky, or Ukrainian ‘easter’ eggs have been made since before the Christian era to help celebrate the first day of spring. This folk tradition involves decorating eggs using a wax resist technique. The word pysanka means “to write” as the designs are written using a special brass tool called a kistka. We will use these tools, beeswax, and vibrant aniline dyes to create eggs inspired by traditional motifs as well as create our own original designs. Pysanky are typically made as gifts for family members and others. Each of the designs and colors are likely to have a symbolic meaning, and thought is given to making each gift unique to its recipient.

*Please note that each participant will be using an open candle flame in the creation of these eggs. Wear work clothes or an apron. If you have laying hens, feel free to bring your own eggs (white or light colors are best).

Materials List:

Wear studio clothes or apron
An empty egg carton
Lunch
If you or your neighbor has laying hens, feel free to bring eggs!

BIO:
Trained as a painter, Robin L Bernstein worked with string and wax as her primary medium for 20 years. Her artwork focused on both historical and urgent contemporary content and is created by obsessively cutting tiny pieces of colored string and then pressing them into wax. Robin is also a hand weaver. Her textile work reflects her interest in color and personal expression. Bernstein, born in St Louis, Mo received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and currently splits her time between Emeryville and Westport, a tiny town north of Fort Bragg. She has been a teacher for over 40 years and incorporated yarn painting into her studio practice after preparing art students for a visit to Mexico. She has regularly exhibited her work and spoken about her historical project, Beauty and Terror, an 18 piece series about the Holocaust. Bernstein’s subject matter combined with her artistic technique is her way of shouting from the rooftops that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it