Gheorghe Popovici

In Romania, in Maramureș area, there are a lot of wooden sculptures, from the well-known traditional gates and dowry chests to household objects such as spoons or big bowls. For some people, these elements are part of their ordinary life, but for others these may be things they don’t encounter every day.
If you are curious to find out how these pieces of art are made, we invite you to visit the creative workshop of Gheorghe Popovici, a well-known wood carving master, whose family has been living in Vadu Izei, Maramureș for generations. He works with pleasure and he loves to participate in all the fairs when invited. “Everything comes from the imagination, from the eyes and from the mind. In order to give a soul to the wood, you need to work a lot with your mind and your eyes”, he told us.
Most often he makes small sculptures, practical objects such as trays, glasses, cups, and also tables, chairs and dowry chests. For each item, he needs time and a lot of patience. Gheorghe Popovici says that this passion rejuvenates him and one of his desires is to promote this craft because there aren’t many people who make things like these anymore.