Yegor Utrobin

Yegor Fedorovich was born in Parmailovo village in 1952. Graduated from school in Yukseevo village. In 1972-2000, worked in collective farm. Retired.

Sculptor, creator of the open-air museum of wooden sculptures — E. Utrobin's Manor. There are more than 40 wooden figures in the exposition.

Quotes

• I am just a working man. Nobody from the village supports me, they are good-for-nothings there.
• Old age is coming over, I am 70 soon, will have to by a stick by then.
• Simple idols don't take much: paint a face with a chalk and keep chopping until sweat of your brow.

My Story

I've been carving since 8th grade of school. Later — I am no hunter, no fisher, so I thought of it as of a leisure, waste of time. But you have to do something. I couldn't drink — had a tight-laced wife. So I decided: I would decorate my life space. People are happy, so am I. I grew up without father, so I learnt everything myself.

I started working on large figures when I was about 35 years old. Whenever I was going, I took a cart, a trailer, and a motor saw. I would find a tree, cut it down. Simple idols don't take much: paint a face with a chalk and keep chopping until sweat of your brow: motor saw, gouge, couple of wood choppers — one smaller, one bigger. Almost never rested, it consumed all my time. Currently there are many local folklore characters among the sculptures — forest creatures, Koschey Bessmertnyy — also a crocodile, bogatyrs, local drunks, etc.

Life was bad in the 90-s. You work, and work, and work, but do not get any money, not even enough for a loaf of bread, only garden products saved us. I have three children. My daughters are married, both live in Perm, my son lives in Kudymkar. One grandson is 21 year old; the other one is almost five. But they rarely visit me and I don't have money to travel to them. I even rarely use my phone; still don't know my own number. I don't like to call people. But if someone calls, I answer.

My favourite tree is pine, it is easy to cut and it barely breaks. Yet, it is hard times for forest now, everyone cuts it day and night. Plots, and plots, and plots... Then everything is empty. You'll have to wait another 100 years for forest to grow again. But there are still animals here: elks, boars, bears. I don't know whether God helps, but there are definitely devils here. They've scared many people and if they come out, they are foretelling some danger. There is all sorts of creatures around but I don't believe in God, I can't pray, won't tease him.

I started guest house back in 1996, chopped it after work, still can't finish it. Three floors, everything on my own, they've only helped me with roof, but all the rest — even timber I pulled up with a manual hoist. I will let anyone stay at this house, whoever comes at the door. So many people came from all over the world — Africa, America, Germans, Finns, Russians from various places. But they only come in summer, in winter it is covered with snow and silent.