Jerry Strouse takes Easter egg decoration to the next level Millersburg man hones his skills designing incredibly detailed Ukrainian Easter eggs

Coloring Easter eggs has been a time-honored tradition as far back as anyone living today can remember. A celebration which began in the mid-1800s, coloring eggs has been part of many children’s Easter celebration.

While dipping eggs in dyes of red, green, blue and orange, with the egg perched delicately on the end of a spoon, is the standard operating procedure for most youngsters, Jerry Strouse, a native of Millersburg, has taken the art of decorating eggs to new heights.

Strouse, 78, is no child, but his passion for coloring eggs certainly has brought plenty of joy to his life, not just at Easter, but throughout the year. Strouse has taken up the art of designing Ukrainian Easter eggs, which have been around for centuries. While you could use the word ‘decorating’ to describe the traditional Ukrainian eggs and today’s modern Easter eggs, that is about where the comparisons stop.

Ukrainian Easter eggs are designed and created with extreme attention to detail, using multiple colors and numerous Ukrainian symbols like the ladder, rose, triangle, meandering wave, saw and basket, which all have special meaning in native Ukrainian history. The eggs are delicately designed to look unbelievably ornate. And rather than using simple dyes and the occasional wax crayon or sticker, the Ukrainian style implements the use of very sophisticated equipment in which the creator maps out a series of designs and symbols in wax, dyeing and re-dyeing the eggs over and over to achieve rich, deep colors, and melting wax after each step to uncover more surface area to dye.

Strouse began his unique artistry almost two decades ago, following what would become a series of hip injuries and surgeries, which would keep him bedridden from time to time. To entertain himself, Strouse picked up the art of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs. A farmer, and a lineman with Holmes-Wayne Electric Co-op for 39 years, of which he served as a supervisor for the final 15 years before retiring in 1994, Strouse was immediately smitten by the attention to detail, intricacies and challenge of designing Ukrainian Easter eggs, which take between four and six hours to make -- if they are regular chicken eggs -- without a great deal of detail.

When Strouse visited Millersburg Elementary this past week and showed off his trade to each class in the school library, he displayed a very steady hand and a keen eye, plus a real attention to detail. Throw in the fact that it takes a great deal of patience, and you get the idea that this art isn’t for just everyone.

“This has been wonderful therapy for me since I began having my hip surgeries, and especially since I had neck surgery and haven’t been able to get out too much,” said Strouse. “When I first began, I happened to see some examples of Ukrainian Easter eggs, and thought they were so beautiful. I got a starter kit for about $30, and I’ve added to it over the years. I’ve purchased a number of books with all kinds of designs, and this has become kind of a passion for me.

“I think above all, I enjoy the challenge of decorating an egg,” Strouse continued. “Once you get started, you just get absorbed in it, and it becomes so intriguing trying to make it the way you want to that you just can’t stop.”

Strouse said that while many people may find it tedious and too difficult to make so many of the tiniest strokes of wax with the utensil used to lay down the wax design on the eggs, to him it is a form of relaxation.

From dozens of chicken eggs to larger goose eggs and even to the ostrich egg that he created, which values at around $400, Strouse enjoys his hobby. Yet, although he has created many eggs, he hasn’t sold any. Many times he will make them and give them as gifts.

As Strouse began getting more involved with his eggs, he purchased an egg lathe, a contraption in which the decorator can place an egg and create straight lines by simple holding a pencil to the egg and rotating the egg. As compared to freehand, this method allows the decorator to create fine, parallel lines, a very difficult task otherwise.

Strouse’s daughter-in-law, Faye Strouse, who is a kitchen aide at the school, was on hand to help talk to the children as Strouse worked his magic. “This has become quite a family event around Easter time,” she said. “All of the children and grandchildren find it fascinating, and it is amazing how the eggs come to life as the process continues.”

The final stage of the process takes place when Strouse applies a polyurethane coating to the eggs, giving them a beautiful, shiny coat. Before working on the eggs he must remove the insides, which he does by drilling a hole in one end of the egg before siphoning out the inside of the egg with a special tool.

As for his dyes, which he keeps in mason jars, once he finishes a project, he simply puts them away for another day. Strouse said that he has been using his current dyes for at least the past six years, and some of them he has had close to 10 years. Simply adding vinegar to the mix keeps them from going bad.

When Strouse completes an egg, the result is an astonishing piece of artwork. Seeing a basket of Ukrainian eggs is truly something to behold.

“They are quite beautiful,” said Strouse, who also crochets to pass the time. “It’s one of those things that, once you get it in your blood, you just want to keep making more.”