Luděk Burian

My name is Ludek Burian and I am a wood carver a marionette maker from Czech Republic. I used to love the smell of wood as a child. I made little wooden boats out of it and blah blah blah … just kidding, now for real.
I did not do much as a child, once in a while I drew something with a pencil or watercolors or made something out of clay, there was not much of a talent in it though. It is not important what schools I went to, there were definitely not art oriented, because I am a self-learner. And by saying it, I would like to encourage those who are not enough self-confident, this is all about being determined – just do everything the best way you can.

And where do I draw the inspiration from? It is my home and the countryside where I live with my family. I get the inspiration just from what I see around and where I live. That explains for instance my series of human-animal marionettes. These are humans dressed up like animals, or is it vice versa? Aren`t they animals with human faces? Who knows. I would also like to thank to my wife Monika, who helps to dress them up.

I like making marionettes without sketching them first, I just like to wait and see who is coming to live. It is some kind of meditation – you can just turn off your head and let your hands create. It is probably not the best example for beginners, it works for me though, my hands already know what to do.

And that is probably all I can say about what I do and who I am. I just found out I am a better wood carver than a writer.

Have a nice day everyone.
Luděk Burian