The artist who found in wood... ideas and essences

I recently met, hidden away in a graduate economist from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, an amateur artist in love with wood. In fact, I didn't discover him but he discovered himself, letting out this year that feeling he felt inside since he was a child. And seeing his work, I'm glad he chose this path. It's Bogdan Florea, or Bogdan Myart as he is known on the net, a young man from Craiova, sensitive and talented.

Bogdan and his brother Alexandru made a Facebook page this year - UnicaArt - where they exhibit their work. The two brothers were born in Timisoara, a year apart (1983 and 1984), but now live in Craiova. Bogdan, the older brother, although he graduated from university with a major in Finance-Banking, felt that this was not the path that was chosen for him.

"I would have also liked this path of finance for image, probably, as I didn't feel it would bring me peace and fulfillment. I didn't see what I could do to bring a smile, a glimmer, a twinkle, to man. You see, there is something beyond us here. We are not born absolutely naked. From our parents, hereditarily, we inherit something and the Divine Majesty plants something in us, that something that tells you, guides you somehow through a higher sensitivity than usual, I think."

Bogdan says they were both drawn to this side of beauty and skill from an early age. They liked to embellish their toys by putting lights and LEDs on them, making various animals or vases out of clay, drawing or painting on pieces of paper or wood.

Growing up, these artistic inclinations remained for a while hidden behind practical things, the idea of finding a job that would help him support himself, to have a certain image in front of the world. But the inclinations one is born with cannot be erased. That smoldering fire may be hidden in the ashes for a while, but all it takes is a gust of wind for the smoldering fire to ignite. There have been a few such "wind shovels" since 2013, but only this year came the decisive one.

This is how the exhibition at the Traian Demetrescu House of Culture in Craiova, from June 6, 2016, called "Ideas and Essences", came about. The exhibition included works representing facts and feelings experienced, in one way or another, by the two brothers.

Also this year, during the week dedicated to the poet Traian Demetrescu- Tradem, from 01-05 November, Bogdan participated with 4 works inspired by the poet. They are the poems Zdrențurosul,

Magdalena,

Two Roads

and the Illusion of the Last,

for which he found an equivalent in another art form.

Many of the works are not only works of art but also lighting fixtures or decorative objects. In fact, the artistic message is a whole. I asked Bogdan about this message and how they are made, if he enlists help to make, for example, the electrical part.

"Works have meaning only if they are thought about before creation, they are brought into existence to be known by the people for whom they are created. Basically, a dialogue is born, through the intercession of works, between the creator and other people.

The works are 100% personal, not out of pride, but because the creator knows where they are coming from and where they are going. He knows what he wants to express through his work, he knows that something and the intensity of that something that made him wince."

Ideas for work come all the time, but there is not always time or financial support for all of them. It's often hard, but he says that's the interesting part, that when it's hard, you don't give up. He told me that he often forgets to even eat, thinking about how to find a material expression as close as possible to what that idea was in his mind.

He uses all kinds of woods for his work. The wood is finished with beeswax or olive oil. Sometimes he also uses wood stains and, when necessary, varnishes to protect the work.

"Wood has a story, it carries a charge in it, a warmth, and if you know how to approach it, you will discover a true source of stories, a true friend, but it is a friend that tries your patience many times."

Bogdan creates both abstract and minimalist sculptures and works that fall under functional art (lighting objects). He has also made decorative and interior design objects in various visual media.

At the end, I asked him how he would describe himself in 3 words.

"Sensitive - perhaps a sensitivity greater than some people. Devoted and dedicated in what they do, sometimes to the point of obsession. Artist, but not in the sense of bragging, no art education, no achievements. Artist in being, with a twitch to things and aspects that many people generally don't react to."

Bogdan never stops looking for his way, looking for himself in the crowd of "self" that he feels exists inside him. Perhaps, if you read the paper sent to the Cultural Store, Me with me and still me...you will look at his quests differently and understand him better.