Pokuttia has an enormous number of preserved folk designs which vary in intricacy from quite simple to almost Hutsul. They resemble Hutsul pysanky in both motifs and favored divisions; color usage can be quite similar.

Onyshchuk chose to highlight only a few Pokuttian pysanky, and two of them are of the type below; in Bukovyna they call these “rooster” type pysanky.  In reality, they are ancient representations of the goddess and the serpent.  Crowns morph into “combs” and wings become pine branches or, in this case, arrows.  The name given here is “Arrowheads,” which may be Onyshchuk’s reinterpretation of the motif (below, left).

I haven’t found the original of this design yet; pysanky of this type are fairly common throughout Pokuttia, Podillia and Bukovyna.  Elyjiw has several very similar pysanky from the Horodenka area (above, right).

Technical details: This is a fairly straightforward pysanka, but it does have both resheto and many curves; difficulty level would be moderate. It has a basic “Lateral” division.

As with most simple traditional designs, a medium or heavy stylus is best for the lines, and of course a heavy one for waxing in. A fine pysanka might be good for the resheto (hatchwork). 

This pattern utilizes yellow, green, orange, red and black dyes. For the red, I prefer a deeper color, as opposed to a bright scarlet.  The green is best applied by spot dyeing over yellow.  I find the colors a bit garish, and wonder if Onyshchuk changed them from the original.

Download this pattern sheet:

English

Ukrainian

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