“ Then you dye the egg and put on more beeswax. You repeat the process a few times, adding more and more detail. When finished, you melt all of the wax off over a candle flame, and the whole design comes to life. That’ s the most exciting part of the class— that moment when students wipe their wax off, they get it.”
During Caito’ s classes, students will learn how to design, dye and complete their own Ukrainian eggs, while also learning the historical and cultural origins of the art form.
“ I get men and women from all walks of life in these classes,” she says.“ Tattoo artists, decorative wrought iron workers, carpenters... they think the eggs are beautiful and want to know how to do them. There’ s usually one or two students in every class who say,‘ My grandmother did this, but my mother never did and I want to learn. I want to keep it alive in my family.’ That’ s always cool to hear.”
For more information, contact the Penn Hills Library at 412.795.3507. n
“ Teaching is a way for me to keep alive something that’ s so special and unique, and share it with as many people as I can.”
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