Travelling - by Nigel A JAMES
Cutting
with the Grain – Armin Spitzer
Whilst
speaking to Austrian sculptor Armin Spitzer, I couldn't help noticing
the very soft English he was speaking. And, he speaks Spanish and
French in the same way as well. And, it was the 10 countries he
lived in which gave him his languages. And, living for him was
living to get
by.
He
worked in hotels and restaurants, he sweated over
pots in
miniature galleys
of yachts in the Med,
and, in other places he taught German in schools. But, when he found
Costa Rica he found somewhere special. For it was there that Armin
Spitzer discovered his love for the colourful beauty of Costa Rican
wood. It was unlike anything he had ever seen or experienced. And,
he
not only knew
all about wood, he knew how to work
it as well. And, before long he was making his name with wonderful
wooden inlay pictures and other exquisite works, too. And, Armin
Spitzer felt good in Costa Rica. But, of course, there is no place
like home.
And
home was Austria. And, Armin Spitzer's roots were the forests of his
home. And, there, as a young boy, he discovered
the magic of wood. And, at a still very young age he was already
making fine items from the finest of woods. And, so it was, that
back in Austria from Costa Rica, Armin Spitzer started producing
wooden animals which were big enough for children to play on.
And,
they became very popular. And, now Armin Spitzer's wonderful wooden
snakes, pigs, turtles, donkies and elephants can be found at many
Austrian playgrounds.
And, the children love them. For them, they seem as real as their
fantasies lets them.
And,
of course, wood is a beautiful material to work with. It has a soul
of its own. And, this is the thing that Armin Spitzer likes very
much. His works, when complete, go back to where they feel best: the
elements of wind, rain, sunshine and snow, and, most importantly, the
sounds of children singing and playing.
And,
all this, because Armin Spitzer went travelling to far away places
and came home with himself.
Selected
Vocabulary
discover
(discover/discovered/discovered) – entdecke
galley
– Küche – Galeere
get
by – durch schlagen
Med
– Mediterranean Sea – Mittelmeer
playground
– Spielplatz
Diarikom
is sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber
Wirtschaftstreuhänder
– Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater
The
Most Beautiful Beaches in Europe!
Mountains,
rivers, lakes and much more.
Wales
– Come and visit!
Aber
House
Barmouth
Elisabeth
Razumovsky
More
Lexmatica Texts!
