Woodcarver and sculptor Filip Piccolruaz - Art from Val Gardena
High quality modern, secular and sacred works of art. Creation of unique utility objects made of wood and metal entirely according to individual wishes.
The artist from Ortisei in Val Gardena has been working as a sculptor for 25 years. He feels at home working in many different styles and using a wide range of materials from wood to bronze, stone and metal and even snow and ice. His creations are always individual pieces, branded with the trademark of the Chamber of Commerce of Bolzano, conceived according to his own designs. There are no limits to the artistic creativity of Piccolruaz: the multifaceted range of art objects extends from bronze statues, wooden figures, portraits, sacred works, works in stone to architectural objects with a purpose.
It isn’t easy for an artist to make a living from his craft, so he engages in a balancing act between the economic necessity of feeding his family and the heartfelt desire for artistic freedom.
Filip Piccolruaz also finds satisfaction and fresh challenges in passing on the skills he has acquired to younger sculptors. He taught for 15 years at the regional vocational school for arts and crafts in Ortisei/ St. Ulrich (subjects wood carving and sculpture). He continues to run various courses in these subjects (such as life modelling courses, portrait engraving, sculpture). He has also had several opportunities to teach students at the Accademia di Belle Arti (in Venice). He was employed as a lecturer there for the 2017 academic year.
Piccolruaz Filip – sculptor creating sacred and secular art – unique, handcrafted works with their own formal language
“Most of my pieces involve commissions. I really appreciate the value of creating something for a very specific person, rather than for the anonymous market. Only by having direct contact through conversations with this unique individual can I respond to their wishes. It is a challenge to reconcile my freedom as an artist with people’s ideas – a symbiosis which allows the emergence of something new and harmonious. When the work of art itself seems to breath and if it ultimately touches people’s hearts and souls - that brings me the greatest satisfaction.”
