Jože Volaric’s Sculpture Garden

My grandfather was an amazing sculptor, and an unstoppable creative force. If he wasn’t spending his time creating one sculpture after the other, he would write haiku, aforizmi, poetry, and what not… He loved literature, but was a sculpture addict. He worked mainly with scrap metal.
He filled up his house with sculptures (and my grandmother, Zlata’s paintings, but that’s another story). The (very large) basement was so literally packed to the ceiling that you could not walk through it… So was his yard. Over the course of the years he cut down the apple, and hazelnut trees growing there, and turned it into a sculpture garden. Which was also packed.

One winter I photographed it when it was completely covered in snow.
After his death it has been torn down, and the sculptures (I hope) moved to a more suitable location.
Both my grandparents where always being put on exhibit, their work in all sorts of galleries, and museums. So it came as a true blessing when, recently, the museum agreed to take in both my grandparents life’s work into their collection. Which was amazing, because they belong in a museum! :)
So now they are part of Slovenia’s cultural history.
It’s the perfect ending to an artist’s fairy tale.

Ok. So… Jože Volaric’s snowy sculpture garden…

He made many haiku sculptures.

I was Joze’s last apprentice. He taught me what there is to know about welded metal sculpting. We made a few together, and it has been an amazing blessing to work with him.

You can see more of his work here: Volaric.com
And mine here: Metal Shadows