One man, one room,
thirty years of wood shavings.
Via Col da Lech 20, Selva di Val Gardena. Every piece is made here, from the first line to the last layer of colour.
From the clay model
to the finished wood.
Sketch, clay model, roughing out, polychrome finish. Weeks with mallet and chisel, until Swiss stone pine, lime or walnut holds the pose the story needs. Bronzes are cast at the Fonderia.
How a piece takes shape
Four steps that have barely changed since 1994.
Sketch. First the situation: who faces whom, who is sitting, who is walking past. The drawing sets the measurements.
Clay model. In clay the pose can still be changed. If the figure does not stand here, it will not stand in wood later either.
Roughing out. Swiss stone pine, lime or walnut, mallet and chisel. The block decides how far the figure can step out of it.
Polychrome finish. Muted colour, often only hinted at, gold leaf in places. Bronzes go to the foundry for casting, and I have a say in the patina.
Surface and material
Chip-carved grooves, traces of colour, gold leaf, bare wood — close up you can see what the figures are made of.
From the studio to the exhibition
Works in exhibitions and at the UNIKA art fair.
Can the studio be visited?
Yes, by arrangement. The studio at Via Col da Lech 20 in Selva di Val Gardena is a workshop, not a shop — a call beforehand on +39 333 720 28 28 is enough, and then there is time to look around and talk.
How is a piece made in the studio?
In four steps: sketch, clay model, roughing out and polychrome finish. The sketch fixes the situation and the measurements, the clay is where the pose is found, the roughing out brings the figure out of the wood with mallet and chisel, and the finish gives it colour and gold leaf in places. Between those steps, bronzes go to the foundry for casting.
Does Roland Perathoner work alone?
Yes, the studio is a one-man operation. From the sketch to the finished polychrome surface, every piece stays in one pair of hands; only the bronze casting is carried out at a foundry.
A visit to the studio?
Just call.
Via Col da Lech 20I-39048 Selva di Val Gardena (BZ), Italy
+39 333 720 28 28
roland.perathoner@gmail.com
Visits by appointment
Getting here
The workshop is in Selva di Val Gardena (Wolkenstein), on Str. Col da Lech above the village centre. Coming along the Val Gardena road SS242, turn uphill to the right in the village; from Bolzano it is about forty minutes by way of Ponte Gardena and Ortisei, about twenty from the Gardena Pass. Without a car: bus 350 stops in the centre, and it is a ten-minute walk uphill from there. There is parking in front of the house.