Zivko Radenkov Creates Beautiful Things

View His New Exhibit at Loop

Zivko Radenkov takes great pride in his work. A woodworker and master craftsman, Zivko refers to himself as an artist, and that he is. The Loop in Tremont, a still relatively new N.E. Ohio coffee shop/art gallery/record store, has carved a nice niche for itself, attracts Cleveland’s creative scene. Right now it’s given Zivko its entire wall. How did this happen? He recently opened up and shared his story with me.

“I make cutting boards for the holidays as gifts,” says Zivko. “Brandy from Loop purchased a few along with some other folks. One day she approached me and asked if I’d be interested in a cutting board show as a change of pace for Loop.

“After some thought, I said, ‘OK,’ even though I had reservations about this. People have a knack to label someone with a title, thus, the cutting board guy. I took it upon myself to make some other objects to pull myself out of that scenario. So I only had a wall to fill and thought to make decorative mirrors. That’s as close to furniture as I could get.

“I believe Brandy had reservations about the mirrors but, with all due respect, I went about it anyways. I only had a few weeks to start and finish enough work to fill that wall. Seven days a week, an average of sixteen hours a day. It was tough. Interesting how this all fell into place because I feel that Brandy with her proposal for a show… [well] that triggered me into a new flow of ideas. Meaning mirrors which I’ve not done before. Serendipity.”

The exhibit draws attention not just for its bold use of colors but, also, for the impeccable craftsmanship. Upon closer look, it’s easy to see that the wood holds together seamlessly, the finishing is smooth and the detail tremendous. One of the mirrors, the one with the intricate fish pattern, took Zivko 100 hours to finish.

“The stylized fish frame. I have no idea how that triggered. That’s a mystery to me,” says Zivko. “Also, in a way, I stepped back and allowed room for the wood to help me in the design process. In my work, I rarely make any drawings and I don’t use rulers or tape measures. I compose or, rather, improvise on a feeling… Everything is connected. Idea, material, tools, emotions and a very, very important ingredient is deep passion to express something. All of this is a mystery to me. I don’t bother questioning it anymore. Matter of fact, I don’t want to question it anymore. I let it happen, like jazz musicians do.

“If I ever have a theme, it won’t be a theme that is based on visual aesthetics only. Part of the theme is always workmanship and that is vital to any design. Bad workmanship will ruin even the best of ideas. Good workmanship is an aesthetic in itself.”

Both the collection and each individual piece carry a Zen-like quality. Because Zivko has put in his 10,000 hours. He is, as Malcolm Gladwell would say, an outlier.

“All my my life, I was attracted to the arts,” Zivko says. “Visual and performing. My father was a painter and sculptor. I suppose this is where my passion for creativity came from. I wanted to be a musician or a sculptor. In high school, a senior showed off his freshly finished coffee table and it blew my mind. All of my gears rearranged and was totally turned on to furniture.

“Although wood as a medium is my favorite choice to work with, I wish I had another 100 years to live because clay, metal, stone would be my next choices. Then 100 years of music! Nonetheless, I have no regrets what so ever. I tasted drawing, ceramics in which I was fortunate to take classes from Cleveland’s own Bette Drake. Awesome teacher and artist craftsman. She studied under Tashiko Takayezu back in the ’60s. I was also blessed to study under a very world renowned furniture maker/designer James Krenov. I’m inspired daily since high school.”

Because he’s been doing it for so long, Zivko also offers this professional perspective and advice for others pursuing the craft as well as those who may want to take advantage of them: “Creative people get trampled on often. There are people out there that have a nose for vulnerable people, thus, starving artists. They will offer them a below minimum wage price for a piece of art thinking that they are actually helping them. People out there, DO NOT DO THAT! The [artists] work hard and deserve what they worked hard for.”

Besides crafting such note-perfect and almost-breathing objects, Zivko’s also raising his son Max, a really great kid that I once had the pleasure of meeting. And, about a decade ago, Zivko’s linguistic skills came in handy during the locally shot Russo Brothers hoodlum comedy Welcome to Collinwood, which featured George Clooney, William H. Macy, Isaiah Washington, Sam Rockwell, Michael Jeter, Luis Guzmán and Patricia Clarkson. Zivko was approached to authenticate the ethnic neighborhood to film.

“I had helped Sam Rockwell by translating a few of his lines into Serbian and spent time with him in helping to develop a tad of dialect. It was much fun and we enjoyed each others company as well as with other cast and crew members.”

Whether it’s improvising like jazz, translating for cinema or creating new designs, Zivko’s hands are rough for a reason: he just keeps working.

“To me it’s about [the] work. Meaning that there are others like myself that studied under a certain school of thought. This particular school stays away from trendy or ‘original’ work. We try to make things as honestly and truthfully as possible. The title of one of my teacher’s book is The Impractical Cabinet Maker. That is appropriate in describing my methods of working. Also, I always hope that whatever I work on will keep a person smiling as they live with it.”

And live with it you can.

So stop by the Loop, get a cup of coffee and explore the natural art of a local artist. Take a look at that mirror. You’ll love what you see.

Loop is located in Tremont at 2180 W. 11st Ave. http://facebook.com/LOOP.

Reprinted with permission and gratitude from CoolCleveland.com.