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„I come from a village and my grandfather was a carpenter. I've always liked working with wood. However, I only got around to it quite late in my life. Around ten years ago I built myself a house and then I kind of had nothing to do. I tried carving, but that wasn’t really for me. Woodturning, on the other hand, captured my eye and my heart almost immediately and I consider it my best hobby. The main technique I use in my work is turning. When I started, of course, it was mostly trial and error. Gradually, however, I started gaining skills and experience. I found out which kinds of wood to process, how to dry it correctly and what products can it be used for. I try to approach each product individually, since each piece of wood is, after all, different. Sometimes you need to highlight something, other times you need to hide it. Thanks to this approach, every single of my products is an original. I make utility and decorative items and I stick to traditional wood processing techniques. I turn wood from apple, pear, or plum trees, but I also use agate, maple or oak. They each possess a specific structure, colour and smell.“

When you buy a bowl in a regular store, all bowls of that series are the same - one like the other. However, when a craftsman makes them, they are all different. He makes them by hand, always from a different wood, approaching each product individually. This is no serial production. „Of course, I also try to satisfy demand. After all, some people want useful, practical things, while others look for design pieces. However, what is important to me is that I have complete freedom when I create - as they say, I follow my heart. I am limited only by the process, the method of production. I'm always looking for new shapes, new ideas. Sometimes I become interested in a new kind of wood. Everyone evolves, and so do I. I believe that my products already show a unique approach.“ „It is good to maintain crafts, even if just out of respect for our ancestors and traditions. We cannot forget that they used to be a part of everyday life. Back in the day, woodturners used to work with treadle or spring lathes. And on those old dishes, we can see even after many years that those masters really knew how to practice their craft. I hope that I can approach their mastery; that there will continue to be interested in my products. That I will keep making nice things and that there will be quite a few of them. I enjoy presenting my work at fairs and festivals, where I always say that my craft fulfills me.“

The scent of wood

Living stories