When I was 16 I read an article in the New York Times about Ukrainian Easter egg dying and I went to a Ukrainian store on the lower east side and bought materials to dye eggs. A few of my high school friends and I had fun learning how to use the tools, wax and dyes. Many years since then I still cajole my friends and family to join me in egg dying. I do a mix of tradition with whatever my motif of the moment might be.
This year Warren asked if I was going to do eggs and I said, "no, I am putting all my creative energy into current pots." But this morning, after I made breakfast, I thought, "Oh it's Easter and I have to do something to mark the holiday." I looked up a recipe I had read about using red cabbage as a natural egg dye and boiled a few eggs.
I was struck by was how I am both a process person and a product person. Today I enjoyed the process of cutting red cabbage with its pattern and intense color. I was entranced by the color that it produced as a dye.
Painting egg shells with sumi-e ink is something that would also take practice to make interesting. It was fun for a few minutes and if I gave it lots of time and attention I could turn it into something more, but all this is to say... Happy Spring.
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