pysanky eggs

i know its not easter but i really dont think that work so beautiful as that which goes into the making of these pysanky eggs should be reserved for any one time of year. I saw a beautiful example of this style of folk art at the flea market this past weekend and i havent really been able to get them out of my head since. 

a folk art practiced in the ukraine, pysanky egg dying is a centuries old tradition using a wax "writing" method to create intricate, colorful patterns on the shells of eggs. warmed wax is applied using a stylus tool to create the desired design. The egg is then dyed in vegetable based dyes from lightest to darkest color - the wax acts as a color sealant on that specific layer of color. it is all removed at the end by gently reheating the wax over a candle flame and gingerly wiping it away. 

my mom and i used to make these eggs - we spend hours together creating our own versions of the patterns - my mom first read about them in a Martha Stewart Living (this was probably circa 1991 mind you, when the mag was still published on a quarterly cycle) We ordered the dyes and stylus kits and away we went. probably my very favorite part about the whole thing, the process requires beeswax, the smell as it it heated over and over again is luxurious and something i will always love. 

my mom still has many of the eggs we decorated - 

images. brama 1,3,5, habit of art 2,4 

trimmings and trappings, part 3

another installment of my trimmings and trappings series. today is all about the Dala horse

this is perhaps one of my most favorite holiday traditions. the dala horse (or dalecarlian horse) is from the province of dalarna in sweden. traditionally the dala is a small hand carved wooden horse with beautiful folk designs painted over a red or blue background.

my grandmother used to set hers out with a few evergreens around the holidays, thought they are not traditionally associated with christmas, in my mind they are synonymous.

originally carved out of scrap wood for children - a figure of a horse was the obvious choice given its place of value in the logging and farming communities where these figures were first made.

some also believe that the bright folk painting seen in the harness design on the dala horse originates from the elaborate wall paintings seen in the palaces and homes of the wealthy in historic sweden. the bright decoration in the kurbit, or flower patterned saddle, was regularly added to the horse beginning in the 1800s.

i particularly love this matte black horse from swedishness.

rustic redefined. mexican pottery

i wanted to do a little post on something i love even though i dont have too many pieces of it in my house. ok truth be told i only have one piece. a big white tea cup painted with luscious deep blue flowers. i like it because it crosses a line for me between the formality of english china with the casual but inspired folk painting of scandinavian and mexican pottery. also it feels amazing in my hand in the morning.

but there are tons of beautiful examples of mexican pottery. If you haven't guessed by now i love folk painting. my grandmother was a tole painter (ill be doing a post around thanksgiving on some of her work) and i think my appreciation of it came at an early age also the colors are typically vibrant and full of life. there is an effortlessness to all folk painting that attracts me but something else attracts me more. it is a style passed down through generation and generations of a culture. it adapts and changes while still adhering to traditional rules or guidelines.

here are some of my favorites from etsy.

the shapes are all irregular and weight and (typically) terra cotta materials give the pieces rustic feel. the brush strokes are honest but confident and there is a flow to the designs that are painted.

casadeoro

madeforfun

destash4u

Valerie Galloway

quite simply, i find myself very drawn to the work of artist Valerie Galloway. im not sure i can put my finger on exactly why. It love its straight forward nature, and the pallet of course. It contains all of the things I love about folk art, and in a way reminds me of the work of Frida Kohal's.

There is a fragility, heightened by that yellowed parchment colored background so indicative of paper ephemera, that makes me look at it again and again. And the scintillating red lips and cheeks on many of her women hint at something beneath it all.

Valerie write that she is "influenced by cinema and old family photos. I love to take a memory or impression and reshape it into a lovely vision" and lovely visions are just what these are. I think they would be just perfect framed in vintage oval portrait frames. find them in her etsy shop here.