Czech Masters, World-class Crystal

Born in 1960, Nové Město na Moravě, The Czech Republic Vlastimil Beránek is an educated and trained sculptor. He was trained by the master, legend  of Bohemian crystal sculpture professor Stanislav Libenský. He is an exponent of the third generation of the glassmaking Beránek family who made history of the Czech glass in the 1940s as they  established a glasswork at Škrdlovice. 
He is known as a creator of sizeable glass sculptures made of glass molten in mould. He also creates sculptures made from luxury hardwood or bronze. The sculptures are characterized  by elementary simplicity free of tiny details which look perfectly from all the angles. In their extreme forms, at times, reach the very limits of the technology applied. Shapes of his sculptures are minimalistic, so far, that this utmost shape will not allow you to get any further in simplifying it. 
In his sculptures, he tries to freeze movement or express emotion. This is a hard task in which  proportions, colour and final shapes of the sculpture help him. It is very important to have perfect proportions of the initial shape. Then you can make some intervention in it. You can twist it, distort it, cut out etc. And that is the principle of Beránek’s work - to show movement in static sculptures. Most of Beránek‘s inspirations come from the sea. There are not many things on the planet than deep ocean so covered with secret. And this is interesting for him. Moreover, the ocean is in constant movement, so it is a perfect environment just for Beránek’s inspiration to his sculptures.
Another element which fascinates him is fire. When you light a match and then extinguish it, there is the last bit of smoke. Very magic moment which quickly disappears. That is the inspiration for Vlastimil Beránek.

Born in 1985, Česká Lípa, The Czech Republic, Ela Smrček was raised in North Bohemia, in the heart of Czech glass industry. She specializes in glass molten-mold sculptures that are aesthetically simple, yet full of hidden insinuations. Smrček has always been fascinated by nature‘s ability to give her inner peace and energy.  This fascination translates into her sculptures, often inspired by the sea, the forest, or the various elements of the weather. Lately, her sculptures have reflected our contemporary society; its hectic  way of life, relationships among people, attitudes, religion and the universal approach to humanity. Her perception of the world is reflected in her art. It determines the material, choice of glass technique, color, size and final shape of the sculpture. Smrček believes that one should take care of oneself, take care of family, enjoy life, be tolerant and avoid violence. Some of her sculptures reflect her beliefs and some simply reflect her love of beautiful art. 

Jaroslav Prošek works in Česká Lípa in Northern Bohemia, in the heart of Czech glass industry. 

He specialises in designing and creating unique glass sculptures, but he also works with other materials, such as wood, stainless steel, or marble. 

Jaroslav Prošek is not a typical artist, who loves art from his childhood, is consistently educated and does practice work. Jaroslav Prošek‘s journey to the world of glass art took some time. He was always manually skilled. 

After secondary school he worked at technical departments of big Czech factories. There he improved his manual skills and learned to fix any problem before the final product is done. 

When he started to work at Crystal Caviar company, a small company producing luxury chandeliers and glass sculptures, his thinking about creating products has changed. He found out that products cannot be only well made, but also aesthetic, create by hand from the most luxurious material to the first-class art products. Then he started to make his first designs of glass sculptures. 

At the beginning of his art career, he had an opportunity to learn basic skills in Vlastimil Beránek’s atelier. His influence to Jaroslav Prošek’s work is obvious. Some of his sculptures are simple shaped, sometimes inspired by the sea like Beránek’s sculptures. 

Jaroslav Prošek uses several techniques to create his sculptures: melting in mold, grinding, engraving. Choice of glass technique depends on the sculpture’s shape which he wants to create. Inspirations for his sculptures come from nature, sea, yachting and also things used to normal consumption. When something inspires him, he makes a small wooden model of the shape and according to it he creates the final sculpture. 

Although his art career does not last long, Jaroslav Prošek has already his own reputation in The Czech Republic and slowly creates his reputation on the international market. 

Pavel Baxa is an artist with a primary focus on the medium of stone, which he adeptly integrates with glass and metal to create distinctive works of art. His fascination with the unique structure, color, and inherent singularity of stone lends a sense of inimitability to each of his pieces. Artworks are masterfully crafted, each piece a testament to Pavel‘s skilled use of materials and his exceptional eye for detail. In addition to his larger works, Pavel also crafts exquisite pieces of jewelry.