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Ferenc Gregor is a first generation Hungarian who carves in Maryland. I met his Man at Arms: Reforged crew at Magfest 2018 and interviewed Ferenc. He works in wood, horn, fossil ivories and stone. He also carves pieces for weapons.

1:18 – Introduction

1:25 – I ask Ferenc Gregor what weapon he’s most proud of at the show. He talks about the Wonder Woman sword he helped to make on the show Man At Arms Reforged.

2:17 – I ask when he knows a weapon or carving is finished. He says he’s been working for 30 years and there’s a fine line. He says that the show has deadlines which they need to meet.

3:04 – I ask what inspires Ferenc. He says the drive to create inspires him. He enjoys going outdoors and works a lot with natural materials. He enjoys chiseling and doing stone work.

3:55 – He talks about the various memorials he’s done in stone including some memorial and military ones.

4:14 – Ferenc talks about needing coffee to work and then talks about using different tools and processes when working on the Man At Arms show. He likes using a hammer and chisel and power tools. He focuses on learning the basics of learning a tool before using it.

5:37 – He mentions enjoying doing very highly detailed work.

6:25 – He worked on the Sword of Green Destiny from the movie Crouching Tiger. Ferenc worked on the jade piece used in the sword.

7:05 – He started carving because he couldn’t afford painting and drawing supplies. He started with carving antlers even though he enjoyed painting. He pursued carving to start making money.

8:10 – He says that if you want to be an artist, you must keep producing. Have the passion but also keep working like it’s a job. He still learns from any piece he creates. He always learns and challenges himself.

9:32 – His first professional sale gave him a confidence boost. He used to do the Santa Fe artist circuit and was inspired by having people who could choose among artists to have chosen him and paid him for his work. There’s no better feeling than to have someone spend hard earned money on your work.

10:58 – He says that when everything is gone in the world, we’ll be remembered by our artwork. The things that artists create inspire people. In addition, everything rigid around us must first have been sculpted by someone before its produced. It all comes from the artist’s mind.

12:08 – Ferenc is inspired by Asimov’s works. He’s a Tolkien fan from way back. He loves ancient history too. Creating the artwork from the past teaches you how they lived and felt. He’s done many styles. He’s Hungarian and he hodls that culture close to his heart and has done work in that style.

14:05 – For the show, he’d like to create the Highlander katanas since there’s so much carving work with them. He mentioned appreciating the fans of the show and that they can follow the show on instagram and on facebook. He said that fans should just come by and say hi. His personal website is Szobrasz Studios and he’s online. The word is the Hungarian word for sculpture.

Links and things mentioned

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNKcMBYP_-18FLgk4BYGtfw

https://www.tolkiensociety.org/

http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_home_page.html

http://szobrasz.com/aboutus.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103442/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/736147633162274/about/

For more “Creating Sci-Fi and Fantasy – An Inside Look” please follow me on Facebook at crisalvarezwlc, on youtube at Cris Alvarez and on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi

Guest: Ferenc Gregor

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: fantasy, art, carving, weapons, swords, man at arms, tv show