Eva Ševčíková
Although Július Lalák’s products are made predominantly of wicker, one could hardly call him a basket maker. Wicker objects from his production find their applications in the gardens or even on the terraces of family houses. In the early 1990’s, Július Lalák (1954) of Nesvady (Komárno district), as a craftsman, went in for the production of timber ladders. However, it was not easy to be successful. Following his father’s advice „start doing something that is unique“ he had decided to search for some other kind of production to earn his living. As a self-taught man he had set out on a difficult way. There was nobody to learn from, but working with wicker was fascinating for him. In his fences he applies material from a great variety of willow trees. Their fresh twigs are often green, but also yellow, orange, brown, red, sky-blue or even black-blue and the result of these combinations is a natural chromatic colour scale. In the 12 years of his activity he has had commissions from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Rumania. Július Lalák admits that he is happy – earning his living by the work he has created himself, in which he is unique.