Štefan Mlích
Majority of contemporary Slovak ceramics producers, folk producers were trained in Modra or at secondary art schools elsewhere. Štefan Mlích, however, developed his love of ceramics alongside his profession of a sculptor. It eventually took the lead from his other work. At first he was fascinated by the sheer beauty of ceramics, exhibiting both artistry and craftsmanship. Later on, as a collector, he perceived beauty of the material proper as well as its artistic value. As he also works as an art restorer, he exhibits a good judgment in relation to quality and technology of a given object. He can study the object and he can ‘read it’, as if it were a production manual. In his work, he follows in the footsteps of Beluj ceramics, stating that each object he makes must be felt and perceived, not only produced as a commodity. He maintains that looking at his works should make people smile, should make them feel well. Without this, he maintains, he could not engage in creative work.