Paulette Platt, also known as Paulette Sky Art, practices the Ukrainian art of pysanky to turn real eggs into art and functional jewelry. She “writes” wax patterns on eggs of various origins using a kistka (a type of stylus), then dyes the eggs, from the lightest to darkest shades, to create intricate designs or picturescapes. Don’t let the fun name fool you; this is far from your grandma’s Easter egg coloring kit.
The tradition was brought by Platt’s great-grandfather when he immigrated from Ukraine, though it fell to the wayside during Paulette’s childhood. “I didn’t know that [it] was a family tradition until we were shopping at a craft store and my
Paulette’s designs are highly varied and stylized. You can purchase them for yourself on her website. Photo: John Barkiple.
dad noticed that they had had kits for Ukrainian Easter eggs,” she says. Back on the east coast, where Platt is originally from, Ukrainian egg kits are common, as a larger portion of the population descends from Ukrainian immigrants. She continues, “He was like, ‘Oh, I used to make those,’ and I was like, ‘What?’” He bought the kit and when they got home, he sat down with Platt to teach her the art.
“I think right now with the war going on, I feel a really deep connection to the country. I feel like I’ve got a dog in that fight.”
Though the art form was almost lost to time during the Soviet Era, pysanky predates Christianity in Ukraine. It was originally used as a part of Trypillian springtime rituals celebrating the Sun God, eventually becoming talismans. “We don’t say we’re drawing an egg or painting an egg. We say we’re writing an egg,” Platt explains. “You’re writing a prayer, you’re writing a message—a wish—on the egg.” Certain shapes or symbols, each with different meanings attached to them, are written on the egg for specific purposes: Wheat for good crops, triangle borders framing pictures to symbolize teeth for protection, etc. Platt refers to this as “sacred geometry and division.” Eventually, as with most pagan rituals, Christianity would change these meanings.
Platt wouldn’t get back into pysanky until later, although her love of art followed her throughout her life. She’s the girl’s girl of the art world. Her eyes light up as she tells me, “From kindergarten on, art class was my favorite time. I think [I] only had it once a week, but it was never enough.” In fifth grade, Platt had a teacher with a special program for kids interested in art, where he taught more advanced skills like perspective drawing. She recalls this as the catapult that led her to studying all types of mediums throughout her college years, where she studied fine art alongside video game art, her major, at the University of Utah.
When asked about the process of preserving such a delicate canvas, she explains, “Everybody kind of does it differently. I just use a dremel to make one hole on the bottom. Then I have a U-shaped needle and I attach that to an aquarium pump that pumps the air in.” Depending on the type of eggshell, which ranges from ostrich to zebra finch, Platt either sands it it down or uses different acids to prep the canvases for dye. While she has this process down to a T, rarely seeing any casualties, her current hurdle is finding a vegan alternative—she is currently experimenting with nest egg gourds.
Using a tool called a Kistka, Platt paints eggs with colorful wax.
“I didn’t know that [it] was a family tradition until we were shopping at a craft store and my dad noticed that they had had kits for Ukrainian Easter eggs.”
While Platt wasn’t nearly as connected to her heritage as she is now through her community of pysanky artists, bits and pieces of it were always there. “It’s not just eggs,” she says. “There’s a really deep history of embroidery and fiber arts [in Ukraine] that are really fascinating.” She adds, “I think right now with the war going on, I feel a really deep connection to the country. I feel like I’ve got a dog in that fight.”
Platt frequents various local festivals and markets throughout the year, displaying and selling her work. To keep up with future markets, follow her on Instagram at @pauletteskyartor order her pysanky eggs online at pauletteskyart.com.
