Rob’s always been fascinated with the grain patterns in wood and loves the material because it’s versatile, durable and soulful – so this is the medium he always gravitates to.  His journey working with wood has taken a scenic route, trying all the ways to shape and repurpose wood, but ultimately found that carving is his preferred method.  He has an equal affinity for home cooking, so the first thing he was meant to carve was a wooden spoon.  Over a few years, his woodcarving grew into other cooking utensils, fruit bowls, cutting boards, small tables and stools.

As much as he loves making functional wooden objects, he was eager to do something larger and with a different expression.  Rob recently found inspiration in his Polish heritage – not only in cooking, but in the folk art and designs.  Wycinanki (paper cutting/layering) and Pysanky (beeswax designs on dyed eggs) are two vibrant art forms that resonated immediately because he saw his grandmother doing this when he was young.  Using the traditional folk art as inspiration, he decided to take his own approach by carving these designs out of wood and at a much larger scale.  Wood tones are beautiful, but they are muted earth tones.  Rob wanted to get those bright colors used in wycinanki into these pieces, so he began experimenting with acrylic and spray paint to contrast the wood grain and texture.

Most Recently, he painted two murals for York Mural Fest – Partnership of Sprocket Mural Works & Parliament Arts