site.btaKardzhali Artist Creates Icons Painted on Ostrich Eggs

Vanya Petkova, a hearing-impaired artist from Kardzhali paints non-traditional icons, depicting saints on ostrich eggs. Petkova has been painting since childhood and has had solo exhibitions.

She painted her first icon on an ostrich egg nearly 15 years ago. In 2011, a relative of hers gave her an egg with a request that she try to paint a saint on it. Then the artist chose to recreate two images, of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

The attempt turned out to be successful and since then Vanya has been painting her icons on ostrich eggs, most often depicting Christ and the Virgin Mary. The first painted egg is still kept by her relative. She has painted various saints, including:  St. Marina; St. Petka; the patron saint of the family, St. Menas; St. Pantaleon; St. St. Constantine and Helena; St. George.

Petkova said that she is not the most devout, but she enters a church with respect and reverence and when she paints the ostrich eggs she feels peace and harmony. She likes to paint them and although the eggs are small in size, this does not stress her, but on the contrary, it calms her down.

People who have touched the non-traditional icons have expressed their admiration for them and defined the painted images as "alive".