Hungary's only active ice sculptor who is also a chainsaw woodcarver – "We've even carved an ice carriage that you could sit in"
István Gáborecz, who is originally from Transcarpathia, initially wanted to become a painter, but his application form was mixed up during the admission procedure, and he ended up studying stone sculpture. He began his career by polishing gravestones, worked in the construction industry, and then self-taught the art of chainsaw woodcarving. Over the past six years, he has created hundreds of woodcarvings, while also learning another unique trade: ice carving. He is currently the only active ice sculptor in Hungary.
István Gáborecz, 35, from Visk, a village in the Transcarpathian region, Ukraine, has lived in Hungary since he was 13. His family moved here in the early 2000s primarily to make a better living, but the move was also due to the fact that his father had been already working in Hungary for several years then. As the education system in Ukraine is completely different, István had to re-do the eighth grade of school after the move in order to continue his studies at a vocational high school.
"I originally wanted to be a painter because I loved drawing from a young age and I thought it would give me skills that I could use almost anywhere. However, my application form was mixed up at the admissions stage. Whether it was intentional or just a coincidence, I don't know, but that's how I ended up in stone sculpture. They advised me to give it a chance and if I didn't like it, I could reapply from the second semester. I ended up staying."
From polishing gravestones to chainsaw carving
István's primary goal was to learn a trade, and his parents supported him in this, not telling him what to do. After finishing vocational school, he started working for a gravestone company, where his job was water polishing instead of carving gravestones. Soon afterwards, he continued his career in the construction industry, where he spent a good ten years.
"For ten years, I worked alongside my father, where I was a kind of handyman, also dealing with the purchase and transport of goods. But I felt that this was not the work I was meant to do.
If I hadn't quit, I might be running a big construction company now, but I wanted to go back to sculpture. It took time to find myself.
I was 27 when I realized what I wanted to do."
He didn't feel that stone carving was his thing, he found the stone too cold, so he turned his attention to something else. He was inspired by the TV show Carver Kings to try his hand at woodcarving, and one particular branch of woodcarving, chainsaw carving. He watched the show almost continuously for two years, having seen the first two seasons at least thirty times. When he decided to try it, he relied mostly on his memory, trying to put into practice the techniques he had seen on TV.
"The first thing I carved was a teddy bear stuck in a log. Looking back now, it looks more like a mix of a chimpanzee and a dog, not a bear, but it was fine then. Mainly because I was just getting to know the tools. I'd never even held a petrol chainsaw before, and I didn't know how to sharpen a chain. It took me a while to get the hang of everything."
More effort, more freedom
Despite initial difficulties, István quickly learned the ins and outs of chainsaw woodcarving. When he started six years ago, only a few people in the country were doing it. He says that his work has helped to revolutionize woodcarving in Hungary, as traditional woodcarvers basically work with chisels, using saws only for cutting out the bid shapes. This process, however, is time-consuming, whereas chainsaws allow you to work much more freely and quickly.
"Chainsaw woodworking gives you much more freedom, but it requires a lot of effort. It is physically very demanding to use saws, especially if you do it for a long time. But when the work is finished, it makes up for everything and I forget the hours of suffering that are often a part of the task."
Seeing the possibilities in logs
When talking about woodcarving, the artist points out that it all starts with the selection of good-quality wood. "I usually carve oak and walnut, occasionally linden, and I can practically see what can be made from the logs just by looking at them. I don't draw beforehand, I prefer to look at pictures of the given figure. Once that's done, the magic begins. You have to completely change your perspective, and you have to know three or four cuts in advance that if you cut in one place how the sculpture will turn out on the other side."
"The more the tree shrinks, the more the statue grows."
István says that he can sculpt anything, but he prefers to work with animal figures, his favourite species are those living in the forest. He started his career sculpting bears. In the first two years, he carved nearly 200 sculptures, 80 percent of which were bears of various sizes. But he has also sculpted owls, deer, wild boar, eagles, and falcons. Today his sculptures can be seen in many parts of the country.
A master woodcarver, he has competed in international competitions and has given countless demonstrations. Previously, he has toured the country in collaboration with a well-known chainsaw company and has sculpted live at various events. At first, he had a hard time getting used to the audience, but after a while, he got used to the crowd – so much so that he only felt comfortable when there were curious onlookers around. In his opinion, this also helped the creative process.
After the woodcarving came the ice
István started to work with ice almost at the same time as he started carving wood. He started wood sculpting on 12 April 2016 and ice carving on 25 November 2016. The reason why he remembers the dates so precisely is that these moments brought a radical change in his life. Everything there is to know about ice sculpting, he learned from Zsolt M. Tóth, a well-known ice carver.
"I first approached Zsolt back in 2016, saying I wanted to learn the trade. He said he would welcome me, but he would not pay me for my work, but I could learn from him for free. Luckily, I got into it pretty quickly and it wasn't long before he was already paying me. He saw from the first session that I was not afraid of the task. The ice is cold, difficult, slippery, you have to put up with all that, not to mention the whims of the master."
István not only did well in his first "exams", but also earned the praise of his mentor. Zsolt M. Tóth had had many students before, but none of them had been able to endure the ordeal for more than a month or two.
However, seeing István’s talent and how he works, he said that he should stay in this career.
There is no other ice sculptor in the country
After his mentor moved to Germany and retired, István became the only active ice sculptor in the country. He says he now has less and less time for woodcarving, with ice taking up most of his daily life. He set up his own "ice workshop" in March 2021 and has been building it ever since.
Ice carving is no easy art: it's very versatile, with lots of tricks that take years to learn. According to István, these can only be developed with practice. However, gaining experience is often quite expensive, as the process requires a lot of time, energy, and, not to mention, electricity. Despite all this, István loves working with ice.
"Ice can be used to make many things, including sculptures that have a function. My team and I have made a lot of swans, seahorses, and hearts out of ice, and these are the ones we get the most orders for. But once we have also carved an ice carriage that you could sit in. Another memorable one was when, a few years ago, we carved a huge floating inflatable duck out of the ice of Lake Balaton, which we did together with my mentor."
István would like to see his name among the great ice sculptors, as well as that of Zsolt M. Tóth. His aim is to create quality and unique works, he does not think about mass production. He does not want to learn any more trades, he wants to make the most of this.
"I have sacrificed a lot to get my business off the ground. My three-year-old daughter had to live without me for a long time, and my job meant I had little time to spend with her. It was hard for the family and for me. However, I did it not only for myself but also for the future of my family. I trust that I have made the right decision.”
Related content
