HE IS THE EGGMAN: SCOTT LOHSE SPENDS FREE TIME WITH EGGS OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

Emptying the contents of the egg is commonly done by poking a small hole in the top and bottom of the egg and the substance inside is then blown out.

An electric kyska is used to do the actual egg writing. Lohse got this one 17 years ago from his mother-in-law.

Lohse says it takes him six to seven hours to complete one egg.

Lohse heats the egg over a candle in order to remove the bees wax.

The Lenten season is a very busy time for Rev. Scott Lohse, a pastor at New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson. Lohse spends a large amount of his free time decorating eggs.

However, these eggs are different than the eggs kids will be hunting for on Easter morning.

Lohse is an egg writer who practices pysansky, a form of egg decorating, which takes five to six hours to complete.

Pysansky are Ukrainian Easter Eggs, which are carefully handcrafted with detailed designs and bright color and, when completed, have a jewel-like appearance.

Various symbols on the eggs have different meanings. For example, plants and flowers symbolize love, charity and good will, while the sun and stars symbolize life itself.

The eggs are an ancient tradition which predates Christ. "Ukrainian peasants would employ them in their worship," said Lohse. "They believed that the eggs had special powers. They believed that life originated from them, and the yolk represented the sun."

There are many superstitions connected to the eggs, Lohse said. Peasants believed that if they buried an eggs in an animal's food trough that the animal would have more babies. They also contended that if eggs were buried in the ground that their crops would thrive.

After Christianity was introduced to the Ukraine region in 988 A.D., the "sun" became the "son" and the ancient customs surrounding the eggs were absorbed into the Christian celebration of Christ's resurrection.

Designs on the eggs which had once represented earth, wind and fire now became symbols for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

"Mostly the folks would make the eggs to give as gifts during Eastertime," Lohse said. "The eggs would represent things like good luck and good health."

Pysansky is done with a small hand tool called a kyska, bees wax and various colors of dye.

"The kyska was originally a stick with a hollow needle attached," said Lohse. "The needle was held over a candle to melt the bees wax. However, today I use an electric kyska."

The kyska is used to draw symbols, symmetrical lines and geographic shapes on the egg.

The first symbols drawn on the egg remain white. After the egg is dyed more bees wax is applied to the egg to preserve that color. The egg is then dyed again in a different color and more designs are added. This is repeated several times.

Bees wax is added after each dyeing to protect the different colors. When the dying process is finished Loshe heats the egg over a candle flame to remove the bees wax.

Before decorating the eggs can be done, the yolk and whites are removed by making pin-sized holes in the top and bottom of the egg. The yolk is then broken up and the substance is blown out.

Traditionally the eggs were left full to signify life, Lohse said. However, today many people prefer them to be hollowed out.

Lohse said he prefers to use farm fresh eggs. "Sometimes the eggs you buy in the store," he said, "have been sprayed with some kind of chemicals which effect the color of the dyes."

Some of the various kinds of eggs Lohse has decorated are hen, goose and ostrich.

Lohse has been decorating eggs for about 17 years. He picked up the hobby from his wife's family which is Russian. Lohse's mother-in-law had a kit that he tried out, which hooked Lohse from then on out.

During his years as an egg decorator Lohse says he has decorated about 1,000 eggs. "I work mostly during the Lenten season," he said. "I decorate between 40 and 50 eggs each year."

For the past 11 years Lohse has displayed his eggs at the annual Easter Egg Festival at Our Lady of the Snows Shrine in Belleville, Ill. Over 300 collections are displayed at the festival which runs from the Saturday before Easter to the Saturday after. Lohse will be holding demonstrations with other decorators at the festival.

He will also be holding a Pysanky demonstration at The New McKendree United Methodist Church on March 24 at 9:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.

"It's very relaxing and clears your mind," he said. "It's a good hobby for a preacher because it's seeped in religious tradition."

Rev. Scott Lohse has made over 1,000 eggs since he began decorating them over 17 years ago. Jackson USA/Scott Moyers