Llazi Icka, është 80-vjeç edhe vazhdon të punojë me të njëjtin pasion që kishte kur ishte i ri dhe të krijojë objekte të mrekullueshme të gdhendura në dru. Menjëherë sapo futesh në punishten e tij të bën përshtypje qetësia dhe buzëqeshja në fytyrën e tij, dhe të krijon idenë e atij njeriu që ka jetuar aq shumë sa të të tregojë gjithçka për jetën. Ai ka një dashuri të madhe për të gjitha krijimet në studion e tij, që ndodhet diku në një nga rrugët e vjetra të Pogradecit. Nëse do të shkoni në studion e tij, do të shihni se është vështirë të gjesh një sipërfaqe në mur ku nuk ka objekte të varuara të punuara nga ai, madje edhe fasada e shtëpisë së tij 3-katëshe është e mbuluar me gdhendje druri. Nëse i shihni me kujdes të gjitha punimet e tij do të bieni në dashuri dhe është e vështirë të zgjedhësh kë të blesh. Kjo sepse në punimet e tij duket pasioni dhe dashuria që ai ka derdhur në to.
Ai punon çdo ditë në punishten e tij, duke kaluar orë të tëra pa e vënë re kohën që kalon, i përkushtuar për t’i dhënë perfeksion çdo detaji të krijimit të tij. Me humor thotë: “Nëse do të bësh art, nuk duhet të nxitohesh. Kur e pyesin se cilin nga krijimet e tij pëlqen më shumë, ai përgjigjet se i do të gjitha dhe nuk mund të zgjedhë. Llazi e ka trashëguar artin e gdhendjes së drurit nga gjyshi i tij, Mihali dhe baba i tij, Spiro. Për të atin, Llazi rrëfen një histori interesante: “Sa herë që babai im gdhendte dru, ai i fliste drurit, sikur t’i kërkonte falje që do ta transformonte, ose sikur e pyeste se çfarë forme donte t’i jepte. Për mua ishte e mrekullueshme ta shihja teksa i fliste drurit para se ta gdhendte dhe këtë gjë ai e bëri për 40 vjet”, kujton Llazi. Kur ishte i vogël, ai qëndronte pas babait dhe e vështronte në heshtje teksa punonte. Më pas ai filloi të vizatonte objekte të ndryshme dhe t’i gdhendte ato dhe u bë më pas mjeshtri i artit të gdhendjes së drurit. Kur e pyesin se sa kohë i duhet të përfundojë një objekt, ai tregon se në varësi të objektit mund t’i duhen disa javë. Ai i njeh aq mirë të gjitha llojet e drurit, saqë e dallon cilësinë e drurit me një të prekur, po ashtu di dhe vendin se ku mund ta gjejë llojin cilësor të drurit. Ndonjëherë ai u kërkon fermerëve të fshatit Bishnicë dhe Gora që t’i sjellin copa druri, ndërsa në raste të tjera ai i gjen vetë, duke bërë shëtitje rreth liqenit dhe kthehet në punishten e tij për t’i kthyer ato në vepra arti. Në studion e tij gjenden më shumë se 500 objekte, disa janë ornamente, disa janë për përdorim praktik si: karrige, tavolina, shkallë etj.
Mjeshtëria e tij nuk njihet vetëm në Pogradec por në të gjithë vendin.
Disa nga veprat e tij kanë qenë në ekspozitë dhe shumë artikuj në media i janë dedikuar atij. Tanimë, sfida mbetet që këtë traditë ta kalojë në duar të sigurta. Djali i tij është profesor, por në kohën e lirë ai qëndron në studion e babait të tij dhe punon duke gdhendur dru. Llazi tregon me krenari që edhe djali dhe vajza e tij dinë të gdhendin dru. Djali ka të njëjtin pasion si i ati, por s’mund t’i kushtojë të njëjtën kohë si ai. Por, ai ka premtuar se do ta mbajë gjallë këtë traditë. Kjo është ajo ç’ka quhet ‘Trashëgimi Botërore’, të pasosh vlerat te brezat pasardhës duke ruajtur ato vlera në vitet që do të vijnë. Në sytë dhe në buzëqeshjen e këtij njeriu, mund të shohësh qartë kënaqësinë e misionit të tij të përmbushur.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/lake-ohrid-region
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Llazi Icka, portrait of the man who spent a life in wood carving
Llazi Icka is in his 80s but is still working with the same passion he did as a young boy, carving wood and creating wonderful objects. Once you meet him in his studio, you are hit by his tranquil face and the smile of a man who has lived enough to teach you much about life. He is in love with everything around his shop, which is situated among the old streets of Pogradec. If you visit the studio of Llazi Icka—the well-known master of woodcraft in Pogradec—you will notice that it is hard to find a piece of wall without an object hanging from it; all the walls are covered, and even the back façade of his three-floor house is carved in wood.
Stay a while and focus your eyes on each of his works and you will fall in love with all of them, not knowing which to buy. This is because he has made each of these objects with passion and love. He works here every day, without noticing the time pass by, paying attention to every detail of his work. He observes: “If you want to make art, don’t rush, you can’t do art rushing.” If you ask him to choose his favourite work he says that he loves them all. Llazi inherited this craft from his grandfather Mihali and his father, Spiro, both of whom loved this profession. He recalls a story: “Every time my father started to work on a piece of wood, he talked to it for a while, as if he wanted to apologise for transforming it, or to ask what form it would like to take. It was something amazing to see him talking to the wood before carving it. And he did so for more than 40 years.”
When he was a little boy, Llazi followed his father’s work attentively and, without saying anything, started to draw different objects and then design them. He then became the man to inherit this tradition to its fullest. If you ask him how many days he needs to complete an artwork in wood, he says that sometimes it takes him weeks. Because of his knowledge of the different types of wood, he can judge the quality just by touch, and he knows where to find it. Sometimes, he asks farmers in the villages of Bishnica and Gora to bring pieces of wood that he needs, while on other occasions he finds the pieces himself while walking around the lake, turning them into beautiful objects.
In his studio there are more than 500 wooden objects, some are ornaments, while others have a practical use—chairs, tables, stairs. His work is known not only in Pogradec, but throughout the country. Some of his artwork has been exhibited, and many articles have been written about him. Now, the challenge is to pass this tradition into good hands. His son is a professor but during his spare time he chooses to stay in his father’s studio, working and carving wood. As Llazi proudly affirms, his son and daughter both know how to carve wood. The son has the same passion but cannot dedicate the same amount of time to this profession as his father. He has promised to keep this tradition alive.
This is what World Heritage is all about, passing on our values to the younger generations and preserving those values for the years to come. In the eyes and the smile of this noble man you can see the satisfaction of an accomplished mission.
Stay a while and focus your eyes on each of his works and you will fall in love with all of them, not knowing which to buy. This is because he has made each of these objects with passion and love. He works here every day, without noticing the time pass by, paying attention to every detail of his work. He observes: “If you want to make art, don’t rush, you can’t do art rushing.” If you ask him to choose his favourite work he says that he loves them all. Llazi inherited this craft from his grandfather Mihali and his father, Spiro, both of whom loved this profession. He recalls a story: “Every time my father started to work on a piece of wood, he talked to it for a while, as if he wanted to apologise for transforming it, or to ask what form it would like to take. It was something amazing to see him talking to the wood before carving it. And he did so for more than 40 years.”
When he was a little boy, Llazi followed his father’s work attentively and, without saying anything, started to draw different objects and then design them. He then became the man to inherit this tradition to its fullest. If you ask him how many days he needs to complete an artwork in wood, he says that sometimes it takes him weeks. Because of his knowledge of the different types of wood, he can judge the quality just by touch, and he knows where to find it. Sometimes, he asks farmers in the villages of Bishnica and Gora to bring pieces of wood that he needs, while on other occasions he finds the pieces himself while walking around the lake, turning them into beautiful objects.
In his studio there are more than 500 wooden objects, some are ornaments, while others have a practical use—chairs, tables, stairs. His work is known not only in Pogradec, but throughout the country. Some of his artwork has been exhibited, and many articles have been written about him. Now, the challenge is to pass this tradition into good hands. His son is a professor but during his spare time he chooses to stay in his father’s studio, working and carving wood. As Llazi proudly affirms, his son and daughter both know how to carve wood. The son has the same passion but cannot dedicate the same amount of time to this profession as his father. He has promised to keep this tradition alive.
This is what World Heritage is all about, passing on our values to the younger generations and preserving those values for the years to come. In the eyes and the smile of this noble man you can see the satisfaction of an accomplished mission.
Ps. This article was published in the Newsletter 5 "Protecting Lake Ohrid"
http://whc.unesco.org/en/lake-ohrid-region