Stanislaw WINTER, Pieta, 2020

wood, stain, black ink; 33 x 28 cm
on the back engraved: WINTER STANISŁAW / 2020

"- Sculpting is my lifelong passion and I can't imagine ever putting my chisels in a box. Well, unless ill health forces me to do so," says Stanislaw Winter. - By carving, I learned humility to life, patience and respect for wood. Carving has also allowed me to survive the most difficult moments of my life. It would be very difficult for me to give up this passion today.

Winter and his family have lived in Tokarnia for several decades, but he is not a man from here. He was born in Stary Sacz. He came to Tokarnia in 1973 and stayed that way.

- Stasiu Winter is one of several folk sculptors currently active in our area," says Andrzej Slonina, also a sculptor, a graduate of the Pedagogical University of Cracow, and head of the GOK branch operating in Skomielna Czarna. - He is one of the most prolific and creative sculptors. We all highly appreciate his talent and diligence," adds Andrzej Slonina."

"I take a special liking to bas-relief," reveals Winter. This is not a revealing statement especially for someone who has had the opportunity to stay in the artist's home. Bas-reliefs are everywhere here. He has a whole lot of them. Like in a gallery. They hang on the walls in the hallway, in the rooms, in the kitchen.

- Relief allows me to expose the chiaroscuro," says the sculptor. - It is very important to me, as it defines the subsequent plans of the composition.

Stain and black ink
It is impossible to confuse the sculptures made by Winter's hand with others, so distinctive are they. Both in terms of form and the way they are polychromed. The artist uses only two colors: bronze and black. The bronze is the effect of covering the sculpture with stain, the black, which emphasizes the chiaroscuro, is.... ordinary ink.

- The stain has such a shade that I give it by the amount of water added to it," Stanislaw Winter reveals the secrets of the workshop. - Usually it is a moderate brown. When the stain dries, I use a brush to apply ink here and there, and then sand the figure with sandpaper. Then I still cover the whole sculpture with a clear varnish, but not the glossy, matte kind."

His works are in collections at home and abroad. (Source: Dziennik Polski)