Our studio has created many bas-reliefs, starting from tiny ceramic sleeping angels to large-scale projects. One of our recent projects was a bas-relief Our Lady of Częstochowa, based on an icon, size approximately 120 x 80 cm, which we realized for a private client for his home chapel.
We devoted particular attention to this bas-relief…
The image of Our Lady of Częstochowa is probably familiar to every Catholic in Poland and many around the world, which is why this project was quite challenging. It involved reproducing a flat icon in three dimensions. However, it wasn’t just the technical aspects that made this project so important to us. During our initial conversation, the client said he was convinced that everything in his life was thanks to the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. With these words in my ears, I began working..
Our Lady of Częstochowa, a bas-relief – why didn’t I wait for inspiration?
I wondered how to begin, but I didn’t wait too long. Many artists wait for inspiration. it is a trap. I’ve learned that the best way to summon the inspiration is to… start working.
The bas-relief of Our Lady of Częstochowa was a perfect example of this. Transforming a flat icon into a three-dimensional form required not only skill, but above all, systematicity and persistence.
Was my work easy?
My design work looks always the same. This was no exception. I started with drawings and based on them, I created a sculptural model. I didn’t always feel like “I had it”, but with each subsequent movement of the tool, with each detail, my vision became clearer.
Pablo Picasso once said:
Inspiration exists, but it should find you working.
I also believe that inspiration often comes during the process, not before it.
Here you can see the stages of creating the bas-relief of Our Lady of Częstochowa:
Below you’ll find a short video of the project, which I posted on Instagram:
“Are you waiting for inspiration? I’m just getting started.”
We accept orders for religious sculptures.
