PICTURES: Polish carver spreads joy with wooden birds in Inverness
A VISITOR to Inverness has been spreading both delight and bemusement with hand-carved robins left for passers-by to spot around the city.
Mark Bancroft from Dunfermline was with his son Ethan (10) at the Ness Islands recently when they spotted the works of art looking quite at home in the trees there.
The carvings delighted them so much, Mr Bancroft got in touch with the Inverness Courier to see if we could find out who was responsible for the small carvings, which he termed “Banksy birds” after the well-known undercover artist whose works often turn up unexpectedly in public places.
A quick appeal on our website soon revealed that the man responsible was Jozef Faryno (68) from Czluchow in Poland.
It was his son Grzegorz “Greg” Faryno (40), who lives in Inverness, who got in touch to share his story.
Jozef (68) has carved hundreds of the wooden robins while he and his wife Bozena spend some time with their son at his flat in the city’s King Street.
Jozef does not speak much English, but through his son explained that he has a passion for working in wood, and spreads his “happy robins” about to bring some joy to the world.
“The forest and wood is my love,” he said.
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5 / 5Starting with a small block of soft wood, he uses a small axe or hatchet to create the basic shape of each bird within around a minute before creating the fine detail with a couple of chisels.
But Jozef’s skills are not limited to carving robins from off-cuts of wood, for the retired forester is also a self-taught painter and sculptor with a portfolio including life-sized carved figures and religious scenes.
He also made the news in Poland thanks to a series of large carvings made from snow.
The close-knit Faryno family was dealt a blow two years ago after Greg came to Inverness to work as a carer.
In June 2017 he was cycling with a friend and during the steep twisting descent into the city from Essich, he collided with a truck and was left paralysed.
He now uses a wheelchair and after a long rehabilitation is now a care worker with Spinal Injury Scotland.
“I was lucky not to have died,” said Greg.
“While I was in hospital my dad sent me 160 of the birds. He must have made thousands over the years. Many were sent to the holy pilgrimage city of Czestochowa which is about 405km from our home town.
“Whin Park is another place where the birds might be found making people smile and through a friend, Justyna, some have been sent to people at Highland Hospice.”
When Mr Bancroft heard about the background to the mystery, he said: “Well, if it was to bring joy to people, then it worked.
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“It is a great fun activity to get children and adults out looking for them.”
Related article: Mystery surrounds 'birds' spotted on the Ness Islands in Inverness
