Traditional pysanky draw from a variety of sources, with many Slavic regions claiming their own patterns with their own historic lineage, passed down from artist to artist through hand-teaching, and later, by instructional book and the internet. Although Nolie Marie WIlson does not recreate traditional pysanky patterns in exact detail, they do utilize the core of many traditional divisions (the method of dividing an egg into complex patterns) as a foundation for creating modern updates on traditional designs.
However, not all of Nolie’s pysanky utilize this structure. Many are purely abstract compositions in their own right, amalgamations of lines and curves intended to call to mind the contrasts of line art and cell-shaded transparencies in early Disney animation, the whorls of a Spirograph sketch, the curvature of sound waves, and a variety of inspiration taken from nature, political protest, art, and music. Nolie’s depth of experience as a textile artist, musician, performer, and multidisciplinary artisan brings to their world a depth of imaginative forms, subtle compositional threads, callbacks to defunct historical art trends and techniques, and a one-of-a-kind artistic sensibility. Each work is intended to evoke a feeling, tell a story.
Please note, this gallery does not include the Mask Up pysanky, a composition depicting two masks derived from a traditional pysanky division. Although many of those pysanky may feature elements similar to eggs in this gallery, the more realistic sketch at the heart of the composition separates it from the abstract compositions found throughout here. It is Nolie’s hope that this helps broaden within the viewer’s mind any ideas about what traditional pysanky eggshells can be and depict, far and beyond the well-established divisions and styles passed down through the generations.
For information on which pysanky eggshells are currently available and ready to ship, please visit our store. Custom orders are available on request; visit our Custom Ordering FAQ for more information about how to start that process.
