Debelak Lidija

Debelak Lidija

practices,uppercarniola

1963

iain

English,Croatian,Slovene

Artisan

812

Scotland

Debelak Lidija

https://www.lidijadebelak.si/

TEXT

Lidija Debelak showed an interest in handmade crafts from an early age, creating jewelry from materials she found in her surroundings. She attended a secondary school for woodworking and then worked for a year at Alples (furniture production). Later, she studied social work and, after graduating, got a job at the Red Cross in Škofja Loka, where she worked with refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina. When the refugees returned home, she was left without a job, so she started creating reliefs on "bobrovci" (ceramic roof tiles). She soon received a positive evaluation from the Chamber of Craft and she obtained the ArtCraft SLO certificate. Soon after that, in 2000, she opened her own business for living. Even after 26 years, creating reliefs remains a great source of joy and inspiration for her, and she wouldn't change her job for anything in the world. The clay reliefs of Lidija Debelak incorporate a wide variety of motifs representing aesthetic crossroads of tradition and contemporariness. She finds her inspiration in the Škofja Loka "Little bread" , handmade inlays on traditional wooden chests, and in folk literature and beliefs. Her angels, horseshoes, carnations, golden birds and clay combined with bobbin lace take us through tradition to a modern design made in gaily colours.

ZRCSAZU_PR_03

2102

lidija.debelak@gmail.com

facebook,https://www.facebook.com/petraplestenjakrocnorezbarjenje;instagram,https://www.instagram.com/lidijadebelak_glinenireliefi/;

+386(0)31 206 123

artist

She has developed her own technique through experimentation.

She has held a few workshops for children in primary school and one for adults at the DUO centre. However, the technique is not suitable for a short workshop as the processes are long, and the product cannot be made in a few hours as it needs intermediate drying between the different steps.

Barbara Ivančič Kutin

Yes

Deepl translator.

female

native

Making the reliefs requires, above all, the joy of working with clay, manual dexterity and, because the pieces are small, great precision. Because they are unique works of art, though, a sense of aesthetics and creativity is so important.

She was born in Podpulferca near Škofja Loka and moved to Goranja vas, where her husband is from. The villages are in the same area.

Wood as a base (sometimes also paper), clay, paints, glues, oils. Some products have additions made of other materials, e.g. handmade lace of thin thread.

full-time paid job

She buys clay and acrylic paints from the shop, she gets wood from a local joiner, handmade lace is made by Mrs. Vera Miklavčič from Gorenja vas.

There is no waste.

The reliefs are a collage of air-dried clay pieces on a wooden base: the shapes are made of paper; pieces are cut from rolled clay, dried and painted, then glued to the painted /patinated wooden base. Some products, e.g. greeting cards, have a paper backing. Handmade lace and other materials are also added to some of the products. In addition to reliefs, Petra also makes jewellery with air-dried clay (earrings).

Roller, knife, brushes, chisles.

The most important tool is an ordinary small sharp knife to cut out the pieces from the rolled clay. Lidija also has a set of old carving chisels that belonged to her husband's grandfather, who carved guns. She uses this set for engraving ornaments.

All the work is done by hand.

There is no waste.

Lidija's small workshop in one of the rooms in the family house. She also has a small gallery/shop on the ground floor.

In addition to the decorative wall and other reliefs that form the main part, Lidija also makes jewellery from air-dried clay (earrings).

She makes products to sell, as that is how she earns a living. Sometimes customers ask for a motif they would like to have and then Lidija makes a bespoke product, but she still follows her creative inspiration (including protocol gifts). She also makes artwork for occasional (thematic) solo or group exhibitions.

She sells most of her artworks in her online store and in her small gallery shop at home. She also sells some handicraft cente and museum in Škofja Loka, and other galleries and museums in Slovenia .

Lidija also creates commissioned artworks (from her repertoire) for individuals or for museums, galleries or for different clients who order protocolar gifts, but she still follows her creative inspiration.

No.

Clients are from all over Slovenia; they buy products for themselves, but mostly as gifts for various occasions (weddings, baptisms, confirmations, anniversaries of all kinds, etc.). In more touristic places, such as Sevnica and Bled, many of the purchasers are foreigners.

Her products carry the Art & Craft Slovenia certificate, issued by the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia.

She participates in different tourist events (fairs, exhibitions, workshops) in Škofja Loka, visited by domestic and foreign tourists. She cooperates with different museums and galleries and also administrative institutions e.g. municipality (protocol gifts). She cooperates with the Handicraft Centre DUO, and in this framework she and other craftsmen and craftswomen often present themselves together. She has had solo exhibitions at the Handicraft Centre DUO Škofja Loka, the premises of the UE Škofja Loka and Žigon's House. Each year, the Loka craftsmen have two group exhibitions. She ran workshops for children during the summer sessions and workshops for tourists during the creative sessions. She also participates in the exhibitions of the KD Deteljica. She participates in a local handicraft colony once a year. S

"Ta služba me je poiskala. To je moje veselje, moja strast." This job found me. It's my joy, my passion.

Lidija is a member of the DUO Škofja loka Handicraft Centre and the Škofja Loka Regional Chamber of Crafts and Arts. She cooperates with local school (occasional) and with different museums and galleries and also administrative institutions e.g. municipality , government (protocol gifts).

She has no particular problems. She only mentions the high margins in the shops.

Rokodelci naredimo vse z rokami, imamo pa iste marže in prispevke kot samostojni podjetniki, ki v trgovine pripeljejo kontejner masovno izdelanih angelčkov. Marže v trgovinah so zelo visoke od 30%, v Ljubljani tudi do 120%! We craftsmen make everything with our hands, but we have the same margins and contributions as the sole traders who bring a container of mass-produced little angels to the shops. The margins in the shops are very high, ranging from 30%, even up to 120% in Ljubljana!

http://www.duo-kunsthandwerk.eu/news_sl/detail/833 https://www.podblegaske-novice.si/sl/news/navdiha-ne-crpam-saj-zivi-v-meni.html https://www.kulturnadozivetja.si/en/art-and-craft-centre/masters-craftsmen/item/19-lidija-debelak.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVPyMzXVg_A

https://www.lidijadebelak.si/