Oleksandra Pryveda
Ukrainian egg decorator and wheat weaver
Seattle, WA
Oleksandra Pryveda is a master of several Ukranian traditional arts including
embroidery, paper weaving, straw and textile weaving, and pysanka or pysanky.
Pryveda was born in Western Ukraine and currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
She graduated from Lviv College of Arts and the Lviv Academy of Arts. Her work has
been exhibited internationally including countries such as Ukraine, Poland, France,
Austria, Russia, and the U.S.
The word pysanka comes from the Ukrainian verb “pysaty” which means to write.
Archeologists have dated ceramic pysanka to 1300 B.C. Many pysanka designs have been
linked to designs found on Egyptian ceramics dating from 1500B.C. The symbols used in
pysanka writing come from Ukrainian Trypillian culture dating from 3000 B.C. The
Trypillian people used these symbols to record knowledge including, spiritual practices,
deities, everyday life, and death. Many of the ancient pysanka designs are still in use
today and have not changed in 8,000 years.
As a recipient of a 2005 Apprenticeship grant, Pryveda passed her traditional pysanka
knowledge on to apprentice Deborah BanDrosky. She focused her teachings on the preparation
of eggs, wax, tool making, prayer, and on explaining the meaning of each color and form.
Deborah BanDrosky currently lives in Seattle, Washington. Deborah was exposed to the art
of pysanka writing early on. Her Ukrainian grandmother was a passionate pysanka artist
who had been practicing the art for forty-five years.