|
|
This master was born in the village of Koskovo, Gorodetz district, on the banks of Uzola-river. Being a man of
great ingenuity and inventiveness, he devoted all his life to folk art, artistic wood carving and wood painting. And it couldn't
be otherwise, as he was a descendant of the famous family of the Krasnoyarovs. His father, Fyodor Semyonovich, - a
famous artist of Gorodetz painting - shared the secrets of the traditional Russian wooden toy with his son. In the 1930s
Timofey Fyodorovich worked in the furniture production enterprise in the kolhoz "Stahanovetz", during the World War II
he was in the Red Army, and then came back to his native town to work in the "Gorodetz Painting" enterprise.
After retirement he didn't give up his trade and, what is more, creative power of Timofey Fyodorovich flourished
in his early 60s. Working in his own workshop for 20 years, he showed himself a mature and original master, who
followed the traditions of the Gorodetz toy. His works are very decorative, all his toys are really unique. With a cutter and brush, he
created figures of ladies and their admirers, the images of which are close to those
of "pankas" (dolls from Russian North, performing the function of protection from evil or harm ); "zapryazhki" - horses,
harnessed to carts; intricate salt-cellars in the form of ducks and needle-cases in the form of little fish with folding lids
on a wooden spindle. His mechanical toys were real masterpieces of toy making. On a small box with a simple wooden
mechanism inside Timofey Fyodorovich placed carved figures of wood sawyers, a shepherd with a pipe or a dancing
girl. By means of a handle the toy was set into motion and a simple tune was heard. He also made toys on mobile laths -
usually a formation of grenadiers with a brave officer at the head. The toys were painted red, orange or black and then
ornaments in the form of dots, stripes and flowers were put. The master worked alone. His wife helped him only with
painting.