Matt Roszyk

Who is Matt Roszyk?

The unique style of Matt Roszyk's art is not a coincidence.  What makes his art unique is the atypical blending of two trades, usually perceived as mutually exclusive, woodworking and metalworking.  Finding an artist, artisan, or craftsman who is experienced in both is uncommon.  The two don't normally mix, as sawdust creates a fire hazard and metal shavings deface the wood amongst many other reasons.

This skill set started with his great grandfather Henry Roszyk I, who worked on a railroad wrecking crew based out of Salamanca, New York.  Henry had a small machine shop and retired into a service as a handy-man around town.  Henry was a mentor to Mark Roszyk, Matt's father.   Mark had a passion for woodworking and experience in furniture factories prior to becoming a career mechanic.  

At a very early age of about 4 years old, Matt would follow his father into the basement shop at the retired farm house where he grew up in Western New York.  The shop was small, had a low ceiling, and mostly dirt floors that were staggered in height throughout.  This is where the blend of both wood and metalworking was passed on.  

It wasn't long though before he was in the shop on his own, usually mimicking what he saw his father doing on a smaller scale.  At this point it wasn't art that he was focused on, but the skill set that would later become employed as an artist.

Around the age of 14 he started to work part time with a local contractor, George Koerner.  For the next five years he picked up the skills of refined woodworking, along with general carpentry, electrical, and plumbing.  George's guidance put finesse to his base set of woodworking skills.

While in his late teenage years he befriended his shop teacher, Steve Kew.  While in school, Steve taught drafting, basic manufacturing, and safety.  These elements would prove invaluable as his career progressed.

Hungry for new adventures as a young adult, a move to Houston Texas in 2001 quickly introduced him to Peter Lampros, also a transplant from Western New York several decades prior.  Peter owns Frame Craft Inc., a custom picture framing shop along with Lampros Gallery.   The friendship grew strong very quickly and so did Matt's interest in art.  At first the creation of something that was non-functional was not easy for him grasp, but the more he was surrounded by art, and more importantly other people who appreciated the art, he saw the very valid and crucial role art plays in society.

Today his focus is mostly functional art, usually in the form of furniture, but the pendulum does swing into the realm of non-functioning sculptures more frequently than it ever has.