Mária Tomová
From an early age, Jana Majerská grew up with the scent of wood alongside her father, the renowned woodcarver Július Katin. As a child, she would sit by his side in his workshop for hours on end, thus subconsciously fulfilling his desire for a son named Ján who would have followed in his footsteps. She still recalls him woodturning and that she always knew which chisel to pass him. It is no surprise that she also wanted to continue his woodcarving art in a practical manner. At first, he did not want to give her a knife, he was afraid; but when he saw that she had keen interest and that she handled it well, he gave in – and there was no turning back.
Alongside animals and various nativity scenes, her range today includes sculptures of saints, wooden mugs, washing boards, chopping boards, pendants, mirror frames and various children’s toys, mainly carved out of linden wood. She finds and prepares the wood herself, from chopping it down to drying it out. Once she has prepared the rough shape, she works – like the old masters did – with an ordinary knife which she complements with chisels when necessary. She mainly uses line carving and chip carving as ornamentation, altering the colour with paints and stains, and protecting the surface with beeswax or linseed oil; those products aimed at young children she leaves with a natural finish. In 2020, she was awarded the title of Master of Folk Art Production for her woodcarving work.