#11 - Taras In Flight - Brad Foucher - Friday July 18th - 1:00pm to 3:00pm - registration opens February 1st 2pm eastern

Renowned Ukrainian pysankar Taras Horodetsky only wrote pysanky for about 15 years, yet during that time he created many thousands of pysanky, and left a lasting impact on the art form.  Taras took traditional elements and enhanced them with his own style, layering them and adding exquisite detail with precision. He invented new methods and tools (I’m told he created his own, custom electric kistka from parts), and researched new ways to create natural dyes.

In this workshop, I aim to delve in to the challenging and detailed designs that Taras was so well known for and make them achievable to all pysankarky (writers of pysanky).  I will show you how to create your own Taras-style design using as a basis the design shown on page 53 of the book The World in the Pysanky of Taras Horodetsky, by Vira Manko.  I will also present some of the elements common to Taras’ pysanky, including bands, stars, birds, and other animals, and give tips on how to create them.  I will provide suggestions on how to mix and match these elements such that you can create your own Taras-style pysanka.  Finally, I will provide tips and suggestions on how to create precise waves in various shapes and sizes, allowing you to customize your own waves to fit your preferences.

• A goose egg with the initial band penciled (to save time),

• quilling paper,

• detailed, step-by-step handout.

• Whatever you need to write on a prepared egg shell, including:

• pencil,
• Kistka -I recommend electric kistkas with relatively fine tips (1, #0, and #00).
• beeswax
• eraser,
• measuring tape

• Optional: Light, Magnifier, egg rest pad, Nitrile gloves, #000 kistka tip

Maximum Number of Students:Max: 15

$40 - ($35 + $5 materials fee - includes a goose egg with initial divisions and band markings)

Brad Foucher learned to write pysanky by taking a class at Polish Art Center in Hamtramck, Michigan in 2019.  Although Brad has no egg writing cultures in his heritage, there is a large Polish population in Metro Detroit, and Brad was always interested in the beautiful eggs his friends created.  After taking the class he was hooked, looking up designs on the internet and buying every book he could find about pysanky.  

In 2023, Michael Kealy started reproducing pysanky from the book The World in the Pysanky of Taras Horodetsky, by Vira Manko.  Brad was inspired by these incredible designs, and pushed himself to achieve the detail that Taras did. The friendly competition between Brad, Michael, and Page Davies helped all of them improve their own skill.  In 2024 Page and Brad developed and taught their first tandem class based on a specific Taras design.  Brad owes a debt of gratitude to Page for partnering with him in his first class and helping develop the content.

More recently, Brad has been attempting to integrate his French heritage in his egg writing, inspired by a trip he made to France in the summer of 2022.

Brad lives in Metro Detroit, Michigan with his wife, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 9 Poison Dart Frogs, and a 9 foot long Suriname Red Tail Boa Constrictor.