Roman Miklaszewski

He performed his first sculptures with the use of….. homemade tools. Only later could he afford professional chisels and carving knives. He is an exception among folk sculptors – for a long time he earned a living with his creative work and passion. Roman Miklaszewski from Sierpc started to sculpt in his childhood and despite being over 60, he is still working.

He uses linden wood and poplar in his creative work. It is difficult to do a long-lasting sculpture out of poplar, because it should be wet during carving and then it dries very quickly creating a risk that the finished work will crack. Roman Miklaszewski’s sculptures belong to various thematic areas. He sculpts saints, angels, devils, and representations of the nature. He always drew inspiration from life, own treks and trips around local wilderness. His sculptures are painted with paints, very colourful, cheerful we may say. He has his atelier at home – it is a small room on the first floor with a table, tools, and cupboards. His works are everywhere there.

The Sierpcki District used to be famous for sculptures. There were many folk artists on its territory. They were supported by local authorities, promoted in Poland and abroad. Miklaszewski says that the region had never been interesting from the point of view of folklore or ethnographic elements. However, in the 20^th century it became an important centre on the sculpting tradition map. During 1956-1957, the Polish Art Institute (Polski Instytut Sztuki) conducted research here and discovered several good sculptors. It allowed Miklaszewski to develop as an artist. He was unusually gifted and hardworking. As a result, he started to achieve success.

Miklaszewski established a company and sold his products abroad – to the USA or Germany. However, today sculptures are not equally fashionable, therefore he returned to breeding bees and producing honey, but he always finds time to his main life passion.

Mr Roman cooperated with Cepelia and he still exhibits his works in several galleries in Warsaw. Among others he did large-size sculptures.