Lips were started to be produced in Klenovec – a former wool processing center – in 1958. Production was initiated by ÚĽUV after a rescue survey conducted by the longtime employee of the center, Ema Marková, in Jelšava. Wool combing machines were either brought to Klenovec from the nearby Ratkova, where wool carders once worked, or they were made by the masters of Klenovec themselves. The wool was washed in a wool laundry room built by ÚĽUV under the dam on the Rimava River, and then combed on four machines owned by old wool carding families. The actual products were made in the households of individual carders and the finished products were rolled again in large oak tubs in the laundry room.

During the peak of wool carding in the 1960s – 1990s, when wool cards were a significant export item for ÚĽUV (to Germany, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic), nearly forty producers made wool cards in Klenovec. A designated quantity of products was produced each month on order and collected at the factor’s place. This situation lasted until around 2000, when the interest of ÚĽUV in wool carding products began to decline and there was no generational turnover among the carders, resulting in fewer producers. As a result, production gradually decreased.

In this environment, master of folk art production Ján Fotta grew up and still lives. He became interested in wool cards as a young boy because he lived across from wool carding master Jozef Pap. He enjoyed watching the finished products dry in the garden, which sparked his interest even more. In adulthood, he asked to be trained in wool card production by the master. After a year, he made an iron weaving frame based on what he saw from Jozef Pap, and slowly began to produce wool cards himself. When the ÚĽUV art committee approved his delivered products in 1979, there was nothing stopping him from regular production.

He was one of the few producers working on looms up to 150 cm wide. He primarily made round wool cards, which were in high demand at the time. Over time, he also made additional frames himself as wool carding was simply a hobby for him. He designs the warp himself and his wife helps him set it up. He produced approximately 20 square meters per month, earning decent income in addition to his official job, and to this day he delivers to ÚĽUV in roughly the same volume every two months.

When he began, there was a material shortage. Younger carders, including Ján Fotta, had to buy it outside the region, specifically in Orava. Wool was relatively expensive at that time, but its quality matched as it was sorted by length and well cleaned. Today, on the contrary, there is an abundance of wool available at low prices, but it requires more work in cleaning. Since the organized wool carding ceased in Klenovec in 2011, with the wool laundry and cleaning machines no longer functioning, Ján Fotta manually carries out all processing tasks. His only tools are a high-pressure cleaner to remove coarse impurities from the wool and a roller for rolling the finished products. However, he is motivated because he is one of the last active wool carders in Klenovec and would not want to see this traditional craft disappear from the village. This is reflected in his efforts to establish a local museum of wool carding and weaving and his willingness to contribute to the preservation of this craft in Klenovec if the local government manages to secure funding for this purpose.

He uses natural white and black wool as well as dyes it to various shades of yellow, red, blue, green, or brown. In addition to square and rectangular wool cards of various widths from 60 to 150 cm, he also produces round shapes. Lately, he also experimented with making woolen cables over his shoulders.

Source: Mikolaj, Tomáš: Masters of the New Millennium [online]. Bratislava: Ústredie ľudovej umeleckej výroby, 2020 [accessed on 2024-05-29]. Available at: https://uluv.sk/kniznica/digitalna-kniznica/.

In 2017, he was awarded the title of Master of Folk Art Production in wool carding for his long-term contributions.