Kashubian Pottery, 16”x16”, mixed media on board
I started working on the Post-Folk Art series in January 2018. For a long time, I did not recognize that I was also being influenced by the items around me. My home has pieces from my collection of Polish folk art in every room. As an artist I know we find inspiration in many different places, but sometimes, it takes us a little while to become aware of some of the sources of our inspiration.
With that in mind, I can say this series’ origins go back over 30 years. That is when I started collecting Polish folk art at Cepelia shops. In the 1980s, when you visited family in Poland, you were required to exchange a minimum amount of hard currency for Polish Złotys. You were not allowed to change the currency back for dollars or marks and were not permitted to take the Złotys with you when you departed from Poland. Even for a college student, the amount ($7 per day) was not a big sum. The place to spend your money was Cepelia. Back then the stores were essentially state-run folk art collectives. The stores had wonderful, high quality crafts and the prices were incredibly low. Nowadays, with a modern European economy and higher wages, you will never find a beautiful, hand-carved wooden box for the equivalent of a few dollars anywhere in Poland. But that is okay, I am making my own post-folk art.
You can see the entire Post-Folk Art series at tofuart.com.
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