My name is Mar’yana Svarnyk. I was born and grew up in Ukraine, lived in Canada for about 20 years. In September 2023 I have moved to Tartu, Estonia to pursue a 2-year MA degree in Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies.
This website and blog is about making batik eggs with natural dyes. Egg batik is a craft of making traditional as well as contemporary “Easter eggs” by using wax resist on egg shell. In this technique, hot bees wax is used to draw patterns on the egg surface, in a combination with a series of dye baths to dye the shell or acid baths to etch the surface. In my practice, I am most inspired by the traditional Ukrainian and Lithuanian wax resist patterns and motifs.
I learned how to make common as well as drop-pull pysanky (traditional Ukrainian batik eggs) from my grandmother in the 1980s while growing up in Ukraine. I have continued with this craft after moving to Canada for studies.
I started experimenting with making and using natural dyes on eggs in 2016 and never looked back. I love to prepare my dyes from scratch, especially from dried or fresh whole plants or parts, though I also use commercially produces natural dye extracts. I enjoy trying different things out, watching the dye stuff cook, smelling it, learning from it. Even though using natural dyes introduces a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability into the practice, and is extremely time-consuming, I find the effort worth it.
I am very much fascinated by the history of dyes and their use and significance in different historic periods and different places around the world.
In 2021 I have completed a PhD in an area overlapping German philosophy and Canadian art. I also volunteer conducting free meditation classes and workshops (https://sahajaonline.com), and learn to play Indian classical bansuri (bamboo flute).
You can find out more about me and my other interests in my non-egg-related blog (mainly dormant now): msvarnyk.wordpress.com
Feel free to fill out the form below if you would like to contact me or if you have questions.