April 21, 2022
By Tom Tolen / [email protected]
It’s time to talk about beautiful, colorful and elaborately crafted Ukrainian Easter eggs.
You say Easter is over, and that’s old news? In fact, this is very timely news. Most Ukrainians – 71%, in fact – identify as Orthodox Christians, and this year the Orthodox faith does not celebrate Easter until this Sunday, April 24 – a week after other branches of Christianity.
Local artist Cindy Mitchell and her partner Victor Bertl are co-owners of the Art Learning Center and Gallery in Pinckney. Bertl is an engineer, not an artist, and invested in the adventure to help longtime friend Cindy. He tells WHMI that this is his first entrepreneurial experience and that he did it “to give (her) a chance to show her art and to be a teacher, these are her joys”.
Mitchell and Bertl originally opened the Art Learning Center in March 2019, but was forced to close soon after due to the COVID pandemic. Since reopening, they have enjoyed a steady stream of customers, with many people signing up for their classes, including students from the nearby Light of the World Academy.
In addition to Mitchell and Bertl, artist Carol Paison teaches art classes there and recently finished teaching Ukrainian egg-making classes at the studio. Shaping Ukrainian eggs or other varieties of decorated eggs is an ancient art form called pysanky. It is a complex process, for which you need several tools, including a wax pen or stylus, a beeswax candle, six dyes of different colors and beeswax.
With Ukraine having been invaded by Russia nearly two months ago, interest in preserving the classic art form is growing. According to legend, the more people in the world who continue to teach and do pysanky, the less likely evil is to prevail.
While the ancient craft – up to 5,000 years old – began in what is now Ukraine, Mitchell points out that decorated eggs aren’t just a Ukrainian tradition. The creation of pysanky is also practiced in other Slavic and Eastern European countries, such as Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Belarus.
The studio, in addition to pysanky exhibitions, also shows and sells paintings, pottery and other creations by artists from the region. To this end, periodic art exhibitions are organized and this Friday the second annual student art exhibition will take place. More than 30 students from kindergarten to high school are registered for the competition, the show will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The competition will be divided into age groups, with winners receiving certificates and art supplies.
The Art Learning Center and Gallery is located at 125 Pearl St., half a block north of M-36, in Pinckney.
