Dave Wasylyshen Creates New Art Form - The Mosaic Pysanka

The beauty and intricate design of the pysanka (Ukrainian Easter Egg) has long been recognized as a contribution to world culture and art. An emerging Winnipeg Ukrainian artist David (Dave) Wasylyshen, has now created incredible unique art pieces using hundreds of pieces of pysanky shells into three-dimensional, one of a kind framed mosaic pictures. The mosaic pysanka is the result of a very long and unique creative process that preserves and expresses yet another form of the treasured pysanka art.

The pysanka pieces in the mosaics have originated from real eggs, whether from chickens, ducks, geese, quails or ostriches. These unique art pieces are not mass produced, each one is unique and no two are ever alike. Some of the mosaics feature a cross or X design with an embedded pysanka centerpiece. The X design symbolizes the cross on which the Apostle Andrew was crucified, who was very instrumental in bringing Christianity to Ukraine and is the Patron Saint of Ukraine. The more contemporary versions of the mosaic pysanka feature uniquely swirling, inter-winding and curved lines throughout the mosaic.

The pysanka is a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ in the Easter narrative, however in the folk life of Ukrainian people, a blessed pysanka was said to possess talismanic and curative powers.  Receipt of a pysanka is not only a token of friendship or esteem, good fortune, wealth, and health, but it also brings with it protection from harm and evil spirits. 

 The whole idea and creation of mosaic pysanky came from Dave’s late father, Ted Wasylyshen. Before Ted passed away in 1995, he taught and passed on the basic technique to his son David. At that time, the whole process took hundreds of hours, however over the last five years, through trial and error. Dave has perfected the new art form process. Ted completed only four of the works, one for each family member, with the fourth purchased and exhibited by the National Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec.

The mosaic pysanka is a new contemporary way of preserving and displaying the ancient cultural traditional Ukrainian Easter Egg. Dave was a featured artist at the Folklorama Ukraine - Kyiv Pavilion. The response and endorsement of the new art form by the general public, both young and old, from members of the Ukrainian community and visitors (from as far as USA, UK, Germany, and even Taiwan) was overwhelming. The most common comment or response was “incredible, unbelievable”!

Some comments were:

“Vibrant, beautiful, outstanding cultural and artistic display that has taken the Ukrainian Easter Egg to another level of artistic beauty and preservation.” (Los Angeles, USA) 

“Unbelievable unique pieces of artwork considering the media Dave has used and how he has incorporated a traditional form of Ukrainian art that can be displayed into a contemporary fashion.” (Calgary)                 

“Magnificent piece of Ukrainian artwork.” (Pennsylvania, USA)                    

“David, you have taken my late mother’s and grandmother’s pysanky and transformed, preserved them into an art piece that I will dearly treasure for the rest of my life; my kids and grand children did not want the pysanky but they all want the mosaics, absolutely beautiful.” (Winnipeg)

By word of mouth, the mosaic pysanky are in private art collections in nearly every Canadian province, several US cities, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Dave creates the unique art pieces for the love of art not to mention that he grew up with the Ukrainian pysanka art tradition since his mother Evelyn and father Ted were building their pysanka display for over the last 30 years. The display is one of the largest private pysanka collections in North America and has been featured in National Geographic magazine and displayed across North America.

Dave and the mosaic pysanky had been selected for the Canadian Prairie Provinces “Prairie Excellence Art and Craft Exhibition“. Dave has been selected as one of the emerging artists from the Prairie Provinces. The Prairie Excellence Exhibition features selected artists and their art and craft works, and is on tour for three years in various galleries across Canada and the USA.

In the past, Dave’s other hobby included some unique stained glass art works, in a three-dimensional fashion. Dave will be developing new extraordinary contemporary art pieces incorporating the mosaic pysanka with traditional and contemporary stained glass techniques, sandblasting and carved, fused glass. Dave has been gifted with exceptional creative artistic abilities in his own art work discipline. Perhaps the best now has come in 2012 with the launch of mosaic pysanka and its fusion with stained glass in three dimensions.

Dave is a third generation Canadian of Ukrainian descent, now living in Winnipeg. David's family roots originated in the Canora, Saskatchewan and Seech, Manitoba areas. In 2011, his exhibitions were held in: April in Saskatoon’s Ukrainian Museum of Canada; June at Edmonton’s St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church; August at Winnipeg’s Folklorama Ukraine – Kyiv Pavilion; and in September at Chicago’s WAFFU.

In 2012, shows and exhibitions are scheduled for Pasadena, California and Toronto.

For further information please contact Dave Wasylyshen at wazy@mts.net

This press release has been facilitated by the Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the University of Manitoba – 204-474-8906 or cucs@cc.umanitoba.ca

PHOTO

Ukrainian artist Dave Wasylyshen