In his own words
What inspired me to become a
carver?
I grew up with just my mother, and all the school break times I spent at my
grandmother’s house in the farm village. There were no kids to play with, only
elderly people, so I had to find a way to entertain myself. That is how I
encountered a nearby wood production plant where there was wood of different
kinds with different grains and textures. I would run around and jump on these
large tree trunks, imagining them as monsters. That is how my inseparable love
for wood began and led to my life-long profession.
When I was 13 I began my first carving
lessons, but without any instructors. My first carvings were little
smiling masks, funny and good. I never liked wicked characters. I
did not have any special carving tools and was working with just a
knife. I still remember that it was heavy and long. I would paint
the face masks with different colors. Then I understood that
painting a tree is not needed. A tree already has a beautiful color
and texture. The wood can be dark or light. In autumn when leaves
fell from from trees I liked to go for a walk in the forest and
always played with leaves. I would collect the most beautiful ones
and gave these bouquets to my friends. I also observed that tree
branches have beautiful knots and interlacements of fragments of
twigs. To me they had a very beautiful appearance, looking like
animals, people and birds. I began to hand saw (whip-saw) on a tree
and to cut these little details on trees and branches. This was
fantasy for me. They were also good and little. I brought these
fragments home and finished cutting them to the necessary form.
Cutting became very interesting to me. My mother did not have money
to purchase good tools for me; therefore, I went to study drawing in
the childrens studio in the House of Culture in our small town. I
began quickly to draw my future characters and heroes. My hands
became stronger and more skilled; child's fantasy becoming more
adult-like. A little boy passed into an adult world of feelings and
understanding of the beauty around us.
What I also learned is that chisels and knives must be very sharp,
and thus are dangerous to children who are learning to carve. A
teacher must always be alongside.
How do I create
my artworks in wood?
When I begin a new artwork I have to choose the type of wood,
its size and carving layout, such as square or rectangle, vertical
or horizontal, etc. Then, a sketch is made. It is very lengthy
process because I make several alternatives, which may or may not
include additional figures, details, overall combination and even
possible interior locations. Then the sketch is made in 1:1 scale
and transferred to the wood. Then comes the wood carving part, using
many different tools. It is the longest and most laborious process.
For some parts of the carving I need to use hand cutters, for others
an electric powered Foredom flexible shaft grinder with high speed
rotating cutters.
What are my
thoughts about craftsmanship?
I believe that every person has hidden creative potential, fantasies
and talent with which we are able to impress people around us. It is
sometimes even seen in children as young as 2 years of age, which I
call genius. These signs and phenomena of craftsmanship are then
acquired and perfected throughout a person’s whole life. Each year
we gain some details and new skills, sometimes even without noticing
it. Constant work, even in different genres, gathers what I call
experience.
