Initial Sketching: Pencil on paper or directly onto the wood board material
Shaping the Form: Cutting contours with hand/fret saw, followed by chiseling, sanding, and polishing process
Pyrography (Wood Burning): A mandatory "second sketch," burning bold contours over the pencil lines method
Painting & Finishing: Application of paints (mainly acrylics) and sealing with a clear coat varnish finish
Narrative Context: Each piece is accompanied by a character note defining its identity and role within the Planet identity
Michał is self-taught, developing all techniques "his own way," without formal art education. His methods are pure and entirely original, honed through years of solitary experimentation.
Signature Elements
Pyrography Detail
Even though the burned lines are often covered by subsequent layers of paint, Michał continues this technique out of love for the smell of wood treated by fire (see quotes). This "double sketching" (pencil then pyrography) is fundamental to his process.
Two-Sided Paintings
Initially driven by material economy, painting on both sides evolved into a form of "active interaction with the work." It allows confrontation with an alternative concept or a 'different alternative work growing' from the same matter, reflecting his "authorial philosophy of art with dualism as the dominant definition."
Found Objects & Bricolage
Michał boldly incorporates "wires, nails—in a word, remnants, scraps" into his works. This use of unconventional materials aligns with the Art Brut concept and Claude Lévi-Strauss's notion of "bricolage"—a world assembled from fragments and remains.
Materials & Sensual Connection
Linden Wood
The primary material is linden wood. This choice is deeply emotional and intuitive. Michał "loves the smell of burned wood" and the scent of varnish (see quotes). He describes it as an "egocentric sensual motivation," beyond rational logic. Wood also holds symbolic meaning: a material that "lived but was destined for use and intentionally killed," then "hibernated against progressive dematerialization," making it the "ideal substance to materialize the spirit of the depicted world of Pan Miś's Planet." This resonates with the "post mortem" theme in his universe.
Other Mediums
Besides wood, Michał also creates on canvas, boards, and plywood slats.
Formats & Scale
Figures: Hand-carved wooden figures, typically 20–35 cm high format
Sculptures & Reliefs: Created from wood form
Paintings: On wood, canvas, boards, and plywood slats, ranging from 20×15 cm up to boards around 80 cm, often two-sided scale
Installations: Unique spatial pieces like the "Abandoned Hut in the Woods" form
The collection includes over 300 "artistic entities": 200+ figures, 100+ paintings (as of late 2024), and hundreds of drawings.
Origin & Evolution
As a child, he drew thousands of figures with a "uniform graphic style, identical to the look of contemporary figures," inspired by his unchanging dreams. In shop class, he discovered the **pyrography pen**. His difficulties with perspective in drawing naturally pushed him towards **sculpture and spatial creation**—space solved what the flat surface complicated. This self-driven evolution is characteristic of Art Brut.
The "Szopa" (The Shed)
Michał works diligently every day in his "Szopa"—a backyard shed transformed into his studio, "imagination laboratory," and "dream manufactory." The name "Szopa" (Shed) is deceptively humble; it's a heated, powered cottage, but Michał simply calls it that. He "doesn't understand the dimension of time" or days of the week, allowing him to create "in his own rhythm... removed from the dictate of the calendar and the daily chase of the clock." This autonomy is key to his creativity.
Michał's choice of materials and techniques perfectly embodies the definition of Art Brut. His art is self-generated, intuitive, stemming from a deep inner need for expression. His lack of formal training and creating "his own way" reflect the idea of "raw art, not combed, not smoothed by any conventions." He follows not "sublime logic of symbols" but "brilliant intuition." His style is "prehistorically" authentic and "contemporarily bold," eluding standard categorization, much like the artist himself.