Folk Arts - Master Artist - Lydia Gladstone

Master artist Lydia Gladstone is a first-generation Ukrainian born in the United States. Her artwork has been sponsored by the King County Arts Commission for years, and exhibited in the Smithsonian Art Museum and the Phoenix Arizona Art Museum. Lydia seeks to broaden the knowledge of the world’s culture by preserving pysanky for Americans to see.

What is often seen in the United States as just merely elaborately painted eggs, is actually an integral part of Ukrainian culture. Called pysanky, it was passed down from one generation to the next. Pysanky symbols express Ukrainian beliefs, often representing rebirth or other spiritual concepts connected with its religious origin. Eggs are also given as gifts throughout the year to celebrate such occasions as birth and marriage.

As a recipient of a 1992 Apprenticeship grant, Gladstone taught her daughter, Sylvia Castro, the art, history, and significance of design symbols of pysanky. Gladstone focused her teaching to traditional divisions for pattern placement, appropriate use of specific symbols, and traditional color combinations and their sequential order.
As Gladstone’s daughter, Sylvia Castro had observed the craft of pysanky throughout her childhood, and had even tried her hand at it from time to time. She was not aware of its cultural implications, however, until she reached adulthood. Sylvia’s goal is to continue perfecting her pysanky techniques so that she can be a community resource and share her knowledge of pysanky with non-Ukrainians in the community.

As a recipient of a 1994 Apprenticeship grant, Gladstone continued to teach her daughter, Sylvia Castro, the art, history, and significance of design symbols of pysanky.