AnsweRED Podcast Episode 23 - From Monuments to Video Games: Sculpting Legacy and Inspiration

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Paweł: Hello and welcome to the AnsweRED Podcast! My name is Paweł Burza and I'm joined by the Bear witcher himself once again, Sebastian Kalemba.

Sebastian: Hello everyone. And today we're going to host Tomasz Radziewicz, the very famous sculptor.

Paweł: He is known for things like our collector's figures, but not only for The Witcher and Cyberpunk. He's also created some of the most iconic sculptures throughout Poland. And I'm talking giant, huge things depicting important parts of our history. This is going to be an amazing one. We're going to talk about small sculptures to huge ones and also how he shares his knowledge. So let's jump straight into it.

Paweł: All right, Tomek Radziewicz, welcome to the podcast. It's a pleasure to have you and I was really pushing for this one because I loved your talk from last year's Promised Land. But we'll get to that later. First, if you could introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and about your art.

Tomasz: Should I do short?

Paweł: Whatever you like. It can be short, it can be long.

Tomasz: Okay. My name is Tomasz Radziewicz and generally I'm a sculptor. For a few years I work as a creature designer and character designer. But daily I try to be just a crazy guy who is, you know, familiar with art and sculpture. Sculpting, sculptor, people, passion, etc. For many years when I met the guys from CD PROJEKT RED, I was a little bit sick with this path of reality. That's why I'm here, because I need medicine for doing my soul more easily, more creativity, etc. Because this is the place. Meeting people, talking, sharing experience, looking what they're doing, etc.

Paweł: So what did you do before you started going into creatures? I know you're very well known for doing the "Geralt and the Griffin" statue, which we had as part of the Collector's Edition for Witcher 3, also V on the motorcycle for Cyberpunk 2077. But what was the kind of other things that you do? Because you're also well known throughout Poland for doing different sculptures which are different scale.

Tomasz: This is my first background because I graduated from the Academy of Fine Art and this experience from that time is very important for me for today when I'm designing the creatures and monsters. But generally I feel like a sculptor who creates big, monumental art with totally different materials than collectible figures. Because I love, and I know very well, marble, granite, bronze, wood, et cetera. And I love this because if you want to be an artist, especially a sculptor, you have to have not only knowledge about the tools, but first about the materials. Materials. Because the sculptor all the time should be comparing, do something with material. That's why the background with, you know, big scale, different materials. I mean, clay, bronze, et cetera. I think make me—I hope, I believe, make me from a little bit of a different world. Maybe not level because it's, you know, I should be careful with this word. But I think mostly from different worlds. And as you know, my passion from childhood, I mean designing the creatures and monsters and today's experience with doing big sculptures. The mix is for me very, very exciting. Jumping from small style stuff, crazy world to big size, heavy materials. And very, very, for example serious topics, can I say like that? I mean, John Paul II, Józef Piłsudski, etc, etc. It makes me crazy sometimes in my mind. But this is great because you never know what you will do the next day.

Sebastian: But what is actually very impressive is that when I look at your art, it seems that you have absolutely no problem with whatever scale you want to produce and whatever material you're going to play with.

Paweł: And a huge range from stuff like that is in pop culture to animals. I love — you have available in your store and also here, the bust of a gorilla. It's so real. And you can do these things, but also you can do historical figures. I mean, the big statue of cavalry that you were talking about in your last year's talk, I mean, it's incredible. It's made of bronze, it's huge. And it's just like, the scale of it is incredible.

Sebastian: Capturing the moment, you know what I mean? That's actually a tough thing, right? Like capturing the moment that you feel that there's a frame out of the animation almost. You know what I mean, they're living. But I'm really wondering what's your favorite material? Do you have any? Or that you don't mind playing with? As I see you as a guide, I can give you whatever and you can create whatever. Which is very impressive. Which is very impressive because very often artists have their preferences. Like for example, I know one sculptor and he does things only in wood and very specific wood, you know, because the oak is not that easy let's say for him. But it seems that there are no limits for you.

Tomasz: You know, this is true. I know why that is. That I feel different materials and generally I feel it with form, movement, etc. And I know that we have many artists who are focused on special, I don't know, design or art. I know guys who are very perfect with portraits and other guys very perfect with these materials, with this design, etc, etc. And I respect this very much. And I can do this the same, you know, try to be really focused to this and doing my work better and better. I mean, for example, doing the portrait. But for my soul and my imagination and belief, believing for being the best artist. Sorry, I don't know how can I say this. I need, you know, touch. Different feelings of art, different areas of art. Because at first I said it many times. I want to wake up in the morning and when I look for the first time at my work, I am the first guy who is surprised. It's not interesting for me when I'm doing something and I show my art to you or you, for example, and you're "Oh, cool. I've never see this." When I see it and I'm surprised — this is the most important thing.

Paweł: That's incredible.

Tomasz: And that's why always when I do something, never mind it's abstract form and realistic form. After this work, for example, it's 5 o' clock or 3 o' clock and everybody goes, it's late. I sit on the desk, I put my art and I spend time with this art, only thinking what I'm doing, what kind of process I did and where is the step to the future in this project.

Paweł: Beautiful.

Tomasz: This is always important because many guys, if something like that, do this way from start to the end and need, for example, a few hours, the time is done and they go to the flat and they forget. Of course. I know many artists who do this and they go to work and think about this. But I think about art all the time. Even when I sit here. That's why we talk about this. But it's not enough. You have to sit in front of your creativity from this day and look at this and think from many levels. What kind of process you did, what is new, what kind of problem you had, what kind of problem you were involved? I don't know how to say... This is very — always ask yourself but answer your question. Because I said before we start. Many guys make a lot of questions. And as a guy from the outside, you can think, oh, he has very interesting, smart questions.

I need the answer, just an answer. That's why when I — look, when I'm making the workshop with people, I explain a lot about sculpting, the process. At first, always I try to say. I try to say the feeling is the first. But you have to understand what you are doing. The mix between feeling and knowledge is very, very important. I said too much and I forgot the question a little bit.

Sebastian: No, no. The question was — but I think you answered it. It doesn't matter the material. You want to actually touch everything. Because you believe that it's good for your creative soul.

Paweł: And also a challenge, right? I see there is this — a stimulus, right?

Sebastian: Like if you start doing only one thing, actually you lose the stimulus.

Tomasz: You said something important with material. Because all this material and sculptors are the same. Because if you touch individual material, you have to think together with this material. You can't put the same form with dynamic pose into the clay and into the stone. Of course you can, but you have to be careful. You have to hear this material. That's why sometimes I have a problem with guys who work only with computers. Because with this machine you can do everything. You try to hear you and the concept. But please don't forget this material. Of course, I'm talking about this from sculptor perspective. Because the guys who create the work for the movie, for example, for the game, they don't need maybe, maybe the knowledge, so big knowledge with material. I know that they make creatures and monsters from flesh, from stone. I don't know what. That's why they too need knowledge from this. But it's something different when you do this character. For example, a character in computer and in real. For example, look, sometimes I try to say doing good art, generally art. Some guys touch stone, marble and do something like a beautiful figure, it's fine with texture, the form, beautiful chest, masculine, etc. And it's okay. But another guy can touch the stone. And doing some simple things without strong texture, easy form. And I can say, of course somebody can say, this is only your feeling.

Paweł: Of course, that's how we interpret art.

Tomasz: There's another guy who only just touched the stone, but in the right point can do much better art. Because I always try to talk about this from an art perspective. This work can be much better, much more interesting. And this work can, you know, make in your soul another feeling. And that's why I talk about different materials. I can much better feel how I can catch the move, for example, in different materials, in different poses. Especially because I love to put in my eye — I mean art: life. Life. Not only beautiful look and beautiful face, etc. The move, the feeling is very important. Because when you see some art, first you have your feeling, your own feeling. Then you can go, oh, what? Why I feel this so deeply? And then you can think if you have this, you know this, I don't know, this... this need? I don't know, how can I say? And I love movement. I love catching this moment. This is difficult. That's why for this I use the knowledge of material, knowledge of general art, knowledge of worlds, fantasy art, etc. It's many, many things. And if you want to create something like good art, still art, you see, you have to think at the same time simultaneously.

Paweł: But it must be also difficult if you're working with, for example, you mentioned, if you're modeling something on a computer in 3D. You can go back, you can change things. With some materials you can't.

Tomasz: Good question.

Paweł: You're stuck. It's stone.

Tomasz: Exactly.

Paweł: You cut once and if you mess up, the marble goes sayonara. And it's like with clay, you can go back, but it requires a different skill set because you're working literally with your hands. And it's not like you're controlling a mouse. You need to know if I press on this this way, I will get this shape. If I do this, well I get a different shape. It's much different than having a tool in which you kind of drag things, move around. It's... But how is it? I mean, it's a craft that people say on the one hand can be kind of archaic, old because it's tactile. Everything now is digitalized. So let's talk about this a little bit, like kind of playing with digital versus real. Hands on.

Sebastian: Have you ever played with digital? Like, have you used 3ds Max, whatever?

Tomasz: Yes, I try to do this, but, you know, I have so many projects simultaneously that I don't have time to, you know, to touch this every day. And my memories, you know, is very short. My memories are more from touch with my hand. That's why when I touch something and other guys, I feel this guy not only from—you know this for example, when I touch today in the morning, Sebastian. I felt him very strong and this great guy. Because I remember the form.

Paweł: You have an awesome handshake. It's very like you feel the other person and you hold it for a little bit longer. Instead of just like a lot of people just are like, hey, hey. They almost don't touch. For you it's like you're really taking the energy. Yeah, the energy from the person.

Tomasz: But you asked me something interesting. I don't know how can I say about this? I mean, the working computer and that you can change everything very fast and, you know, back.

Paweł: It's more forgiving also.

Tomasz: Exactly, exactly. Especially me, huh. And the second path when I'm sculpting in real material. And you can do this, okay, you can do this because you can make the silicon form, etc. But the process is too long and I'm too bored to do this. That's why generally the first part is like doing a computer. And you can go to the future and to the past. Like, you know, we know everybody. But with art. That's why with art in real art, what is very important to try to understand is be here.

Paweł: Be in the moment.

Tomasz: I mean much wider. How do you say "wider"? Wider. I mean like in life. Because all that many people think about the past. We live in our country, we have a lot of thinking on the past. We think a lot about the future. But we forgot. Many times, for example, daily. This moment. Like now we spend together, we talk about this and this moment very important. This is exactly like with art in real. Because in this moment you have to catch or do a good decision. And you... I don't know how it's in English. [In Polish] Odpowiadasz za to.

Paweł: You're responsible for it.

Tomasz: Responsible. I know this word, but I wasn't sure. And you are responsible exactly in this moment about the final effect. It's exactly like with photography in the past. You catch the photo and because you know I have digital camera and before you start take the picture, you exactly know all the time very carefully what's happened in the world. Then you catch this. It's the same in art and in real. This... responsible? It's very important in this process. We have responsibility in 3D art, of course. But you always say to yourself, oh, I can go back.

But me, and people like me, when we do something now we have to — okay, we never are sure. We're feeling this. I'm feeling this. Feeling, again. I said in the process of creativity, feeling. I'm sure this is the moment. This is the right point of my creation and go to the future. And I love this. Decision in the process of art. Decision. You never know that this decision is right. But when I create something, I never had a situation that I'm doing something, and okay, I did this decision, this decision, this decision. And finally when I have the effect, I think, okay, it's right. And this is good because... On the one side it's good when you have a lot of things for using. But today we have so much technology, everything around us. And you need something like an island, your island. Where you feel very comfortable. Maybe not comfortable. I mean more strong and like a master of this place. And when you have this place, you can build your world.

Paweł: Is it for you a physical place or is it a place that is in your soul?

Tomasz: I mean, it's in my mind. Mostly in mind. And this is very important because if you don't have the the island, for example, I don't know how can I call it. And everything is vibration. You know, we know everything is vibration because we are vibration as artists. That's why you have to put our foot — feet, foot, on some stable place.

Paweł: Yeah. Fundamental place.

Tomasz: You know, just simple words, you know, staying on the ground and have the head in the —

Paweł: in the sky.

Tomasz:  Something like this.

Paweł: Being grounded on the one hand, on the other hand kind of dreaming. And also like thinking about possibilities.

Tomasz: We have to always be open. You ask about this material, about the movement. That's why I prefer that every artist try to be open to another artist. That's why I'm here. That's why I talk with guys from games and film. Interesting, yeah?

Paweł: Plus you do the amazing workshops where you give people clay and you sit them down like, let's create and you talk about the process, which is like the best hands-on experience. And I feel like for a lot of people who are used to the new way of doing art, with lots of technology going back and actually touching clay is very like, you know, it's visceral, it's real. Right. And it's different for them. And it's like, it must be interesting how they interpret it because they might, you know, sit down and be like, wow, okay, how do I transfer what's in my head to this, to this piece?

Tomasz: Because we have to, you know, press this guy from a comfortable area, you know. This is always exactly me. I'm doing everything. Sometimes, for example, in marble, because many years are sculpted in marble. Then I, you know, push to another material, to another material, to another surface.

Paweł: You feel less comfortable. And that's actually when you're vulnerable and you're less comfortable. You actually love that. A lot of people are afraid of going outside the safe space.

Sebastian: But for example, like many animation productions, they still use real sculpts to be able to capture the volume of the character or the creature.

Let's say, I mean Pixar for example, they always, you know, sculpt in real clay, in real material. The main characters, for example, I've seen recently the making of this movie at Netflix, Sea Beast. And they literally made a sculpt of this beast. Because the fun fact is that some people that do only digital, they sculpt things in, let's say ZBrush, then they print it and it doesn't look as good as it is in the viewport. And they realize that, you know, that you don't have this perspective. And so actually, for example, in Sea Beast there was this very first model. Then they modeled it. And this model was huge. I don't remember the name of the sculptor, but very beautiful. Oh yeah, beautiful, beautiful.

Tomasz: The character was from another guy, but the sculpture —

Sebastian: Really cool. And then they recreated it again digitally, right. And then he finally matched the real size, kind of real volume. And you can tell. I really like this movie. I was very positively surprised with the quality. And this creature was flashy, you know, you can feel the meat, the size. And in my opinion, the part of making it flashy is exactly because they actually took a step back, modeled it in real life and then again retransferred it to the digital world.

Tomasz: I try to believe in that still because I talked with some guys, for example, with Andrea Blasich, about how the process looks like today. And we have to remember that every year, everything changes. The process of creative activity is so fast and the guys who make decisions come from different backgrounds. And I see because Andrea, for example, taught me that the guys who remember the past when we sculpted everything in clay, they respect this and they need this for making movies, making the character for the movies. But many new directors don't feel this. That's why I'm a little bit set? Can I say that? Because this, what you said is very important. Okay, I can understand that. You know, this what you create in computer. And when it stayed in computer and looks well, don't need the reality, the 3D reality. But if you want to make the form generally better. It's always when you can give life to this design in real. And check this. Yeah, look at this from many points of view. It's always better, always. The next tools, the old stuff I mean, the contact with material, you know, tools, wire tools, etc. This is forgotten. Sometimes I think it's forgotten level, forgotten area to make creativity.

And I believe we will use — we will, you know, need work like this in the future with another project. I especially believe that the guys who create, you know, 3D art want to touch this too. Not only seeing. And this is fun. Because, okay. We spent many years, I mean, like, like a human many times in front of, you know, screen, but still we're a little bit like a monkey, like a gorilla. We need touch, you know? And that's why maybe you saw when I meet guys, which I like, I touch him. Close contact. Of course, not too close. Don't be afraid.

[Laughter]

But we need this. And I'm happy that the guys, the artists who create and I believe, I want to believe that the guys who create art in computers want to see and please, please, guys believe and try to need the art in real. Because then this art is much deeply, can I say that? But it's changed a little bit. It's not today with making the model for the movie in real, it's not the same like 10 years ago. It's a little bit like with you remember time with Terminator, the 90s, the computer effect, CGI, etc. come to the movie industry, everything changed. And like in the 80s last century, sculptors, you know, were like rock heroes. Then after this time with the computer, many guys forgot about this, about this artist. And today is a little bit different because we need a little bit of time to change and to understand this, that the experience, the background from this real art is very important. That's why today, when I see CGI effect and real art, real models, makes me a big fan. You can see Star Wars, old Star Wars, new episode of Star Wars. We know this.

Paweł: They're actually making the models. The question is though, don't you think, moving into the future with how 3D printing has become a big thing? Don't people just, won't they just take the easy routes, like create it in 3D, print it. And then working with real materials, that's like, oh, it just takes so much time. Of course you could mold something and like you said, you could create a mold out of something that you made and then replicate that and create a lot of things, for example. But for a lot of people, when they're concepting stuff and they want to create something real, they will do it in 3D and then they'll just like, let's transfer that to the printer. Let's create it because it will make the process quicker.

Tomasz: Quicker. But when I hear the words quicker, it's something like a pułapka? I don't know, how can I say —

Paweł: Trap.

Tomasz: I don't know how I can say this precisely because everything that doesn't need time, emotion, energy, or passion. Everything was generally quicker. Whatever it means, it's just dangerous. I don't want to say this is good or not good. Let me use this word, dangerous. Because this is like a pułapka. Trap? That's what it was? Look. When I will do some art, I spend with this, for example, two weeks I will think about. I want to do this for my friend and I want to do well. What will be your reaction? If you got this, compared with something like, I do something, this is for you. I don't want to say this is good, this is bad, from artistic point. I want to say this is the time, this is the —

Paweł: It's more personal.

Tomasz: It's personal, yeah. Personal, yeah. But art. Art is personal. This is what I'm doing. Of course I want to say about me. Because I don't feel like a politician who always talks about everybody. What I create, it's personal. I even do this in a lot of copies. But it's my personal work. I spend a lot of time. This is not like a product.

Paweł: Yeah, it's not a ready product. Fast consumer product.

Tomasz: Yeah, because they think about cash. Give me the cash. Of course I want to get the cash. Because I have company.

Paweł: You're a businessman.

Tomasz: As a businessman too. But I want to give you this as a gift. Or sell to another and get an amount, of course. This is my soul, this is my passion. That's why I don't produce 5,000, 5 million products just for cash. Cash, cash, cash. Because I don't need a Porsche or something like that. I need good guys, creative guys, creative world close to me. Not the simple, stupid things. To show me, you know, exactly what I said earlier before we start. We built every artist. A lot of guys, artists too. But I mean generally people, we create—on the one side, I can understand this. We create something like a big bubble. Bańkę? Bubble. Yeah. With who we are, how very important we are.

Paweł: We'd have a good car, a big house, cool stuff.

Tomasz: This is maybe not so important, but too. Some level of this in this bubble. Because the core houses, you know, people who I know. For example, what I'm doing this, I'm doing this. I'm doing this.

Paweł: Very important.

Tomasz: When you really look at this and when you really touch this. And you feel it. Really feeling... When you feel this really you can see. But I don't see something real, something very important. Of course I want to say that everybody likes that. No, of course, no. But I love guys which I touch. Never mind mentality, physically, or something like that. "Physically", of course, like this. But when I feel that he has something in the background, from mentality, from the soul, from creativity. I love this touch, I love this contact. Because the contact is in the same time with many levels. And this contact can improve me. And time flies. I'm not 20 to spend time with guys who are… próżni?

Paweł: In a vacuum.

Tomasz: I need, you know. I'm very hungry in general. This is maybe good. Good try... to say something about people and about art. Very simple. Like a sculpture. I want to eat dinner. Just a good strong meal, like a kotlet schabowy. And then I have energy for creating something. And I want to meet people like kotlet schabowy.

Sorry for the simple example. I don't want to eat, like, galaretkę. It's sweet. I have maybe energy for one hour. But then I feel —

Paweł: Hungry again.

Tomasz: Hungry again. Hungry. It's not so bad, but pusty?

Paweł: Empty.

Tomasz: Yeah, empty. And I'm trying to talk about this.

Paweł: It needs to satiate you.

Tomasz: Compare this to creativity process, creativity meeting, etc. Too much philosophy, guys.

Paweł: This kind of like, meeting these types of people, comparing it to a meal paints a picture. Because if it's a meal that fills you, you feel like you're like I always say this after Promised Land. I feel like whenever we come back to work to Warsaw, we have this battery of being inspired and also of being just ready to work and take on new challenges, like filled to the brim. Because you're surrounded by people who have this creative energy and they're transferring it to other people.

Tomasz: What you said is similar to what Seba asked me in the morning. It's right. But again, let me compare this to the simple porównanie? I don't know.

Sebastian: Comparison.

Tomasz: Yeah. That's why the place like here. I want, I try to imagine that the place is like sorry again, but a little bit like the dishes. Kotlet schabowy. I can eat this long, but then I have energy to work long. Not again like this galeretka. Because it's very easy, especially at an event, believe me, to eat a lot of sweet things and feel very powerful and inspired. But you don't remember, don't forget, you need the energy and keep this moment for a long time. Because this is typical for humans. If somebody told you all the time, you are great, you're perfect, you did this fantastic, you don't have to work anymore, you're perfect already.

I go back to my flat and I'm the best, yeah, king of the world. And the next day I wake up, oh my God, it was too much sweets, etc. It's a simple comparison. But generally I love this event, you know, that's why I'm here and that's why I wish this event... This is my... not suggestion, because you are the master for this. But I want to always feel something like when I came here again, I will get the energy and the inspiration, motivation to do this. Not from one week and two weeks, or only just in this moment. This moment is beautiful, this moment is very beautiful. But we have to really — this is another very important thing, you know, this reflection.

Sebastian: It stays with you.

Tomasz: Reflection. Today we spend so much time, you know, with daily habits. We have to do this, this, this, this. And time flies so fast. Even with our work. We have so little time for reflection. Even after — look, ask yourself, Sebastian, you took a lot of work from this event, spent a lot of time with many guys. You have to make progress in your mind, I'm sure very fast. Because time flies. And after this event you will go back to your work. Where and how long do you have time for reflection? Not only about this. What kind of relationship do you have with these people from all over the world? Because everybody are the artists from different feeling, different places. Please ask me because — oh, this is good, what you said. I have a question. I think not so difficult question, simple question. And I want to... Please tell me, answer how much time you have after an event like this for reflection. For you, for you, for your soul, for your vision of the future. Because you're a busy guy. You have to go back to work. But tomorrow you will wake up and go to another project.

Sebastian: That's true, that's true. And like to be honest, on a personal level, I have to wake up at 5 AM to be able to have one hour for myself to be able to digest what I experienced yesterday and put it down on the paper. When it comes to the more, let's say the event kind of thing. We have, you know, some kind of — we call it retrospection. When we sit down with a team and discuss what was good, what we can improve, what is the biggest lesson that we've learned from this event, after this event, and what can we apply for the next one? But believe me, actually that's the very first time at Promised Land that we are having a podcast like this. And I always take a few sentences, a few notes after each conversation because every single time I learn something here and that's my moment to make sure that I will get back to it, let's say this evening, and I will remind myself. But to be able to do it is exactly what you said. You have to be aware and mindful that you need such moments in the day because other than that, you will forget and you have to kinda pack them kind of like gifts.

That's my favorite part of events. It's not just the inspiration, like a sweet inspiration that is like, you know, just like a very cheap fuel. This is a nitro fuel that stays with me for months. You know that this is something that keeps me going. And we always have this talk, a week before the events. Like oh my God, it took so much. Actually this year the team made so much progress and I wasn't even able to help as much as I did in the past. And I was like, oh yeah, huge effort. It's gonna be tough for sure because to be energized all the time, every day. You know, we talk a lot. You know, there's no spare minute. But then, the day before you're kind of stressed, but then you start the event and it pays off and you love it. You know what I mean? Like I see you, you know, crazy guy and I'm like, yeah, I haven't seen you for a year and I missed you, man. That's the moment, the pace of everything.

Paweł: It's like an extended family that you have and you meet once a year and you also meet new members of that family.

Sebastian: The funny thing is you have a feeling that yeah, I haven't seen Tomek for a year, but I feel that I haven't seen him for two days. Like that's amazing.

Tomasz: And we're still the same. The same young.

Sebastian: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Tomasz: Same beautiful.

Sebastian: Age is only a number, right?

Paweł: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they say.

Sebastian: My back doesn't say that, but yeah.

Tomasz: You remember we have to start in the morning some days, do some gym maybe.

Paweł: Sport is also good for that, like, having sport as a place where you kind of are mindful and you actually do these light retrospectives of what happened the day before, what you kind of want to do, like today. And also looking into the cool things that happened and actually appreciating them, because I feel like you said we're running all the time. It's very hard to stop and appreciate the work that we did or also to stop and think about what we could do better. Because sometimes it's just like the hamster wheel. You're running, you're running, but you're not going anywhere.

Tomasz: Yeah, but saying to yourself only stop is enough. You have to stay and feel that your body is sometimes, you know, without vibration, without just. Okay, I'm stopping. I stop it. And you know, you feel it. And wait, wait, wait. Then, okay. Because all the time we try to explain you. Okay, stop it, stop it. I sit for five minutes, and then somebody called you, somebody this, and oh, my God. Okay, it was enough. The rest, five minutes was enough. But it's not enough. It's not. I know that we love this. We seek. We're crazy. And we will see how you will look next year and how much hair I will have next year, etc.

Paweł: I'll have less, for sure. That's for sure. I want to talk about your process. Like, what's your process when you're creating a sculpture? And let's maybe start with these really big monuments. And I want to kind of go back to the glory of cavalry and Polish artillery, because for me, that is something. Like, when I heard about it, it was different when it comes to the process. So can you talk about that process, creating something huge to that scale?

Tomasz: Oh, this is. Oh, my God. Difficult. Not a difficult question but a long answer. And let me tell you about this and show the difference with artistic process, because this is the signature of our time. Look generally, I don't know, those guys know this and other guys know this work. My last big monument, which I created with other guys. But normally, traditionally, and I have to say, from my perspective, more artistic. Still, yeah? The process looks like, you know, make a small model. And in this model, you try to think about other things. Then the normal process —

Paweł: And you make it out of clay.

Tomasz: Clay, but it's not so important. It is important, but you know, it's so many things to explain. If you want, I can talk about this.

Paweł: I want to kind of get to know like what's the, what's the pipeline, as they would say.

Tomasz: Exactly, exactly. The first is of course, the small, you know, concept sketch. And you know, for this sketch, I use different materials. Depends on what kind of effect I want to get. If I want to put to this art more expression, more, you know, like a sketch, more energy. I mean, from abstraction, character, then I use just clay or NSP or something like that. But if I want to do something as a concept sketch still, if I do something like, you know, more precisely, then I use, I don't know, another material that I can do this work much more precisely. And this is the first step. And normally in the traditional way, we use, you know, big armature, tons of clay. Many people, many assistants. I love working with assistants, but too many assistants is not so good. And this process is really long, really long and really heavy. Because, you know, when you work in clay, you need... With such huge art, you spend one hour unpacking this art from the foil. Then you have to have energy for sculpting one small piece. And you see the armature, the clay, the 5, 7, 10 tons clay. And you think, I start the eye and where are the legs? Where is the... Oh my God. A lot of work.

But. This process is very, very great. Because with such huge projects, you work with a lot of guys and you're building something familiar, like you do with movies or games. That's why I love this, you know, and on the other side, you touch this material and you see the size because it's not the same. When you create the concept in 30 centimetres and then you want to do this 5 meter or 10 meter, you use different rules. It's not like today many guys doing something smaller, then using scanning and 3D machines. And the same thinking about lines, texture, form for small size. And then for the 5 size. This is not these rules. And back to the model from clay. And for this work, I need many time, many power. And again time to reflect on this form. Because this is not point to point. You can do this. But this is creativity process too. And when you use the 3D model, you know, and you make some small model to big model, you forgot this creativity process. And as a sculptor, always I remember this. That's why I love this old technique of creating huge art. And again, small model, big model from clay. Then a lot of work with form, plaster form. Oh my God. It's really, really heavy work and a long time. Then you know, making the plastic casting, you know, I mean, doing again these old sculptures glued together every piece and make the monument together like one form and then again form for bronze cast, then bronze cast. But before this, the sculpture is cut for many pieces again. And then casting. How do you say spawanie?

Paweł: Welding.

Tomasz: Welding these pieces from bronze. Then you know, cleaning, etc. Long and patina process.

Paweł: Patina process so it looks old.

Tomasz: Yeah, it's a really long process. This process need for us, for artists, a lot of energy. But this is way, this is way and the way. Stay in your life, in your soul, very deep. And this is what — co nas definiuje.

Paweł: What defines us.

Tomasz: This is very, very important. You feel this, I'm sure from the game industry too. That's you and me. But today the process looks different in a lot of situations. Because many artists, me too, we're starting with small clay. And today we use a scanning machine, for example milling machine, like with this horse monument. And after this milling machine, the process of making this form in big size. We don't need to spend a lot of time, so huge months, etc. And on the one side, this process is much easier, but much different. And that's why when I use the new technology, I try to think about how can I use this technology not only from, you know, technical point, but from creativity point, what kind of form I will get finally, when I will use this milling machine. That's why when I start the concept in this moment, I have to think about what kind of technology process I will use to get the final effect. And today, when I think about the cavalry monument, I'm happy with this work. In my opinion, it's interesting art, but you can see this and say your opinion.

But I'm sure if I would start this work again, I can do this work much, much expressive, dynamic and interesting. When I will use another technique, I mean more traditional technique. Because the process with the size one to one, the process is much more... I can do this process much more artistic with milling machine, with the process, with scanning, milling machine. We did this process, I don't know, how can I say in English, płaski, flat, more flat. Flat for doing something still interesting, but even flat. And that's why a lot of time when I talk with young guys who sculpt about doing some art in different size. I try to explain this is your decision, what kind of part of process with art, generally art in this moment, with sculptors, it's your decision what kind of part in this process you want to keep still as a creativity process or only technical process? Because you can do creativity process only the small model, and the rest is the only technical process. But in the traditional art, every process should be still creativity. Because in model, you make the decision about the character, etc. You know the size. You have time to taste the surface, feel every detail, the size, change a little bit proportion, give the power, keep the power from small model to the big, because the feeling is totally different. You have to remember you create this from this place, but then you will put the art in different places. Then the process with casting and cleaning this art and patining is very important. That's why this process is your decision. What kind of part of this process you want to, how do you say traktować?

Paweł: Treat.

Tomasz: Treat as a creativity process or technical. With creatures or monsters, it's different because the process is much shorter. I mean, of course, with my work, but really with art, with materials especially, this is a lot of, a lot of levels.

Paweł: I like that you're talking about when you're creating a concept, the first concept and then going through the process, instead of just having a process which replicates what you did in the beginning. Throughout this process, you need to be thinking about creativity and actually going back and looking at it. Maybe I can change something. And you're always like, you know, going back and forth, back and forth. So it's an iterative process instead of just being, okay, small to big. Yeah, we have the technology. We can mold everything. Like you say, you have the styropor, and then you pretty much cut it up, then you translate into bronze. You weld it together, finish it, put the patina on, done.

Sebastian: It's not a factory.

Paweł: There's no —

Sebastian: Assembly line.

Paweł: Boom, boom, boom, out.

Tomasz: Sometimes when I explain about this, I try to compare, like sinusoida. I don't know how it's in English. Sinusoida?

Paweł: I know what you mean, I don't know.

Sebastian: Let's call it sinusoid.

Paweł: Sinusoid. I think that is the thing.

Tomasz: The process is like many sinusoida in the same time, you know, I mean, the meaning, the feeling, the technical points. Everybody are different, you know, and you have to be all the time, carefully. Because the moment when the sinusoid makes something like —

Paweł: When they cross each other.

Tomasz: This is the point when you should be, you know, concentrating. What it means. I won't forget this, what it means. Ah, it's this! And do this. Nice work.

Paweł: The cavalry is also a great example because there's so much detail, especially on the horses. I remember the muscles, the veins, all those things. They're very real. And it's in motion because they're charging ahead. And so the horses, they are in gallop. So that also is incredible. To actually have that stand and show the motion and show the emotion and the history behind it. It's big.

Tomasz: Again, we're back to the motion, to the move, to the expression. And you said a lot of detail. On the one side, yes. On the other, no from my perspective, for example. Because using this technique, I mean, the milling machine, I make the process shorter. That's why I have to think about how should I sculpt the surface and how should I play with detail in this form and move to keep this energy, the power inside. That's why look, the horse. It looks like a horse. Like, I hope. I hope.

Paweł: It's like a real horse.

Sebastian: When its queen dies, it lasts.

Tomasz: But look, the surface is really clean on the horse. Really clean. The guys, again, looks like guys. But to keep the energy in this monument, I made something like, you know, to this clean surface with this guy. With the horse, I built the surface showing the line, the strong texture. For example. [in Polish] I don't know how to say these stripes by the horses.

Sebastian: Stripes? Strips.

Paweł: These stripes that kind of go over the horse.

Tomasz: Exactly. A lot of stripes. And this is, this moment is very important because everything is vibration in this culture. That's why you can feel this movement.

Paweł: It's like flowing in the air, like, because they're in gallop, so they're in motion.

Tomasz: And with the sun, you can see. You can see the line in bronze, and you can see the shadow on the sculptures. And it makes much more, you know, contrast. Because dynamic is always in contrast always. I talk about this yesterday in my workshop. But generally with horses, I use simple surface, clean surfaces. And a lot of lines, you know, a lot of small detail without texture, just simple form. And this element, every small element makes this dynamic composition. I believe, still dynamic. It's not like creatures, not like designing creatures When I concentrate on design, you know, this surface and this surface of this texture, skin. I don't know, something different. Clean, clean texture. But at first, the form and line. That's why it is very dynamic. But please go there if you have time, go there and see it in real.

Sebastian: It's very impressive.

Paweł: For those that don't know where, if you're in Poland, go to Komarów.

Sebastian: It's huge.

Tomasz: It's about 20 meters tall. 800,000 tons.

Paweł: Assembled with a crane.

Sebastian: 800,000. That was actually — 800,000. My God. My God. That's crazy.

Sebastian: How long actually did it take you to make from the initial concept?

Tomasz: You know, it's a pandemic. It was a difficult time. But generally we have a schedule to do this in one year. I mean, the model together, maybe one and a half years. And we are ready for doing this. But the pandemic was coming and everything was destroyed. And we wasn't sure that we will finish this work in the future. And with this time with pandemic, we did it in three years. It was not so long even with pandemic. Why? Because we use the milling machine. Because normally, I think if we start with traditional way, we need for this much, much longer. I think maybe three years for sculpting and then casting. But three years was not so bad.

Paweł: You also do things which are more, let's say, pop culture. I recently saw like, you know, Godzilla and Kong. You've done stuff for. For The Witcher and for Cyberpunk. Where does this come from? Like, is it your overall love for pop culture? Do you kind of do it because you feel like maybe it's a business thing or is it the time that you grew up in? Because I feel like for me and Sebastian, it's easy. We love comic books. We love games. We grew up on comic books, games, TV shows, animated series. How's it been for you?

Tomasz: Okay.

Paweł: Because it's present there.

Tomasz: What should I say? I can say only this passion from childhood. Let me say a little bit about the childhood, because I grow up in 70s and 80s, last century, in small city and of course in Poland. Yeah, Poland. Close to the. You know, how do you say granica? Border. Close to the border. And in the 80s we had nothing, no comics. I'm from a very poor family and I didn't have the comics. I heard about the comics. That's why when I heard about something or I saw something in the movie, I was so fascinated. And I want, as a child, I want to just have it. That's why I start create this in clay and plasticine. Because only this material I had. And it was not easy like in Gdańsk, even in 80s last century, to go to shop and buy something like that. I had just clay and jak jest boisko?

Paweł: Like a soccer field or a football field.

Tomasz: And that's all. And my imagination, you know. And I remember when I start the passion. I'm sure you remember in the past, in the cinema we had something like plakat. I don't know, a lot of—

Paweł: Posters on the wall.

Tomasz: Not every time, but a lot of night I go there, put the piece of paper and I draw the character. Han Solo.

Paweł: Oh, nice.

Tomasz: I didn't know, Godzilla, etc. And then I sculpt it and I played with my creatures on the outside. You know, with kałuża, woda, I don't remember how t osay.

Paweł: In puddles, like in muddy puddles.

Tomasz: Exactly. And it was, you know, great time. And in this moment, you know, I got something like. Zarażony?

Paweł: You become infected.

Tomasz: Infected with this, yeah. And I remember this. I had, I have, I had? I have this deep in my soul. But you know, time flies. We grow up. And the process of education in Poland looks totally different. I remember my time in gimnazjum? I don't know, how can I say that?

Paweł: That's like from sixth to eighth grade.

Tomasz: Yeah. And I went there and on the right side, it's for me, you know, fascinating. Because art school. And on the other side I was shocked because they told me “Terminator? Something like that? Or creatures. No, no, go to drawing." You know, martwa natura, I don't know how to say this. And I remember my first year in this school, I lived in internat. How do I say student housing? Not academic —

Paweł: It's like when you have a university and you also have housing there. Like student housing.

Tomasz: Exactly. And in the first year at the school I sculpt Steel Terminator, you know, from plasticine. All the time it was a very important time because I improved my passion with sculpting.

Paweł: So you have a better craft.

Tomasz: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But from pop culture. Not from, you know, high art. I don't know what. Only from pop culture. Because I was, I tried to be close to pop art. That's why to this day I love watching movies and you know, be close to popular art, but improve my passion from this way. But it was still difficult to understand the guy who teach me, because we have the traditional way.

Paweł: They were talking about fine arts probably. Look at the beautiful, you know, art and especially the sculptures. We always go back to you know, the classics. Like you go to the Louvre, you see the Venus de Milo. But also it's very hard for a professor who has that mindset that art should be only, you know, like it was back in centuries ago.

Sebastian: Only Michelangelo.

Tomasz: Yeah, always Michelangelo. Okay. It's cool because this is history and this is —

Paweł: It's important.

Tomasz: Of course, of course. But don't forget to be open always. Michelangelo? It was five, 600 years ago. 200 years ago, 100 years ago. But it's time for us.

Sebastian: Radziewicz is now.

Tomasz: Exactly. But what I want to say — and then look, in that time I start to slowly forget about this passion designing the creatures and monsters. It was a slow, slow process. And I was more concentrated about the traditional drawing, beautiful figures, sculpting traditional art, etc. And of course it was good too. But with process of teaching, we have to really be careful. For my opinion, we should show and explain what kind of tools and area you have. But this is your decision during your soul, which way you will choose. And then I finished the gimnazjum, go to the Academy of Fine Arts. And it was again the same. And I believed in that time. I believed so strong in classical art, you know, high art, that I forgot. I forgot, totally forgot about this. I never thought again about, you know, doing something.

I should say, when I look at this work. What the f[__] is this? This is shit, kitsch. What is it? Yeah, this is incredible. And I remember my time after the academy. I don't know, it was natural, I met my friends, we talked a little bit. I started doing some different stuff, another size. And one day we. My friend and I did something like UDock Creative Studio. It was a short episode, you know. You remember we started doing this and we met for the first time with protest. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. And all the time I call my friends, we have to meet with these guys. This is a good moment, but I want this, I feel it's good moment to improve, to back with my feeling to this world of popular art. But I don't understand this, like, today? I feel it. But you know, during so many years with classical education was difficult. But today I'm happy that I press my friends to call to try to, you know, prepare the meeting and something like that. Because always I was concentrated, focused on my work. And from that time when I did, you know, The Witcher 3, the figure, I understood. This is me. This is part of me, which I forgot during many years. And after this this moment, I'm back to the, you know, creating the creatures, monsters. And I'm very happy because today I know that I'm much more... [in Polish] How do you say mindful?

Sebastian: Much more... Mindful?

Tomasz: Mindful artist, yeah. Because at the Academy of Fine Art—

Paweł: More aware, I would even say like self awareness in this case.

Tomasz: And because at the Academy of Fine Art I learned. I learned? I learned. I got knowledge about masses, material, proportion, etc. But my imagination, I mean, very huge imagination. Was, you know, just like [claps].

Paweł: Collapsed.

Tomasz: Closed. Yeah. Squashed. And I need many times to, you know, make my mind much more open. Fluently and open. That's why I'm happy, and that's why maybe that's why I miss, you know, to jump different wall and touch different material. That's why I'm happy that we have connection for today and we share our passion and I believe, I'm sure that we'll do many things together and put all the time the, [in Polish] how do you say challenge?

Paweł: Challenge.

Tomasz: Challenge, new challenge, vision. Because we need this.

Paweł: We love challenges.

Tomasz: Like narcotics.

Paweł: Like a drug. All right, I think we have it. I just want to close off with a simple answer. What inspires you today? What inspires?

Paweł: Apart from working with new material and challenges, like, what else inspires you?

Tomasz: Again questions. Goń się.

Paweł: For you that don't know, goń się means like hit the curb. Like, what the hell? Why you asking me questions again?

Tomasz: Simple question, simple answer. World. Whatever is it.

Paweł: Beautiful.

Tomasz: You can answer yourself from your soul what it means. World.

Paweł: Beautiful. We have it. Tomek Radziewicz, thank you so much.

Sebastian: Thank you for coming. Thanks a lot for watching and we hope that you did enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Paweł: It was an amazing one. And as always, don't forget to comment, like, subscribe, all that jazz. Let us know what you're thinking about the episodes. And as always, let's stay in touch and we'll see you in the next one.