Embracing the ancient colorful art of decorating Easter eggs, or pysanky, is a meaningful tradition for Laura Perry.

She and her husband Edward and their four children — Theresa, 12; Arianna, 9; James, 3, and Rosie, 1 — moved to Johnsburg from Wheeling in 2010 and joined St. John the Baptist Parish.

Perry fondly remembers the intricate craft she learned during childhood as she sat along side her late mother Jirina

Srbova Podgorny, who immigrated to the United States from Prague in the Czech Republic.

The art of creating the pysanky Easter egg is a time-honored tradition that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations in many Eastern European homes and around the world.

The eggs are given to family and friends and placed in Easter baskets to be blessed.

The eggs, which are never eaten, are richly decorated by a variety of methods. The eggs can be painted with water colors, embellished with straw or beads, or drawn with wax then dipped in dyes.

Much time is devoted to create each one.

“It all starts with blowing out the egg through a small hole on each end,” Perry said. “All you do is lightly tap the egg to make a hole and the pysanky begins from there.”

It sounds difficult, but Perry says that with practice it can easily be done.

Once the eggs are ready, the creativity begins.

“I prefer the wax-resist method I learned from my mother,” said Perry, who has cherished and saved her mother’s tools of the trade — colorful dyes, clear and black waxes protected in an old tin, and the key tool, the kistka that is used for drawing the design and holds the melted wax.

“It takes a real steady hand and concentration to draw with the black wax on the curved surface of the egg,” she said.

The traditional wax and dye method is a regimented process where the egg is dipped into a succession of dye baths, starting from the lightest to the darkest colors.

Between each dip, Perry applies wax over the spots where the previous layer of color is to remain. At the end, the remaining wax is easily melted off.

Sometimes Perry shellacs the egg to give it a brilliant shine.

Perry said that with four small children she hadn’t created any pysanky for years.

“I realized that I can’t stay away from it and now try to do it regularly,” she said.

“I lost my mother when she was just 45-years-old. I miss her so much and think of her especially at this time of the year. It’s time to hold on to traditions with my own daughters.”

As Perry spoke of the time she had with her mother, close by were mementoes that drive her spirit to keep up with the tradition.

These memories securely placed in a glass jar have bound three generations.  

The collection includes pysanky created by Perry’s mother Jirina and a few new ones crafted by her daughter, Theresa.

Perry created her first pysanky in black and red when she was in kindergarten.

“My mother was very artistic and created smaller intricate designs,” Perry said.

“I tend towards making flowers and shapes. You have to really pay attention to what you are doing, but even if you make a mistake with the wax or the dyes, there are no rules.

“Each egg is special,” she added, “and you have to follow your heart. My daughter Theresa started an egg with irregular shapes and she wasn’t sure if it was correct. But when it was all done, her pysanky resembled beautiful stained glass.”

There was also a stack of colorful Pysanky postcards Jirina received from her family in Czechoslovakia with the words “Vesele Velikonoce,” or Happy Easter.

Perry said that as a child she was fluent in the Czech language. She recalled coming back from visiting her grandparents in Prague and actually forgetting how to speak English.

“I wish that I could remember the Czech language now so I could read the postcard messages my mother received,” she said.

Many legends surround the pysanky, which originated centuries ago in pre-Christian times to honor devotion to the sun and rebirth of the earth.

Pysanky artwork often reflects folk motifs, geometric shapes, flowers or animals.

With the advent of Christianity, pysanky art changed to represent the Holy Trinity and Christ’s Resurrection.

Perry was recently asked to visit her daughter’s classes at St. John the Baptist School to display and talk about the history and creation of pysanky.

“I took it one step further and thought it would be more fun if the children could make them,” Perry said. “I didn’t want to bring candles and wax, so we got really creative and decorated the eggs with markers in a rainbow of colors.

“The kids had fun and they were really pretty.”

“Kids today have to do everything so quickly and move on,” Perry said. “Life gets so busy, but I feel it is so necessary to slow down and enjoy crafts and hobbies that take time.

“As I told Theresa, the artistic skills you are using with the pysanky will follow you to whatever you do, including fashion design.”

When she starts creating the eggs, Perry said, “I lose myself sometimes and several hours pass by so quickly.”

But a bowl full of pysanky sparks joy. The years and memories of practicing this ancient tradition within the Perry and Podgorny families transcends time and  evokes the peace and love of the Easter season.