Fruits and vegetables become sculptures full of detail in the hands of a Bulgarian woodcarver

The world is full of hidden talents and Angel Bolariev is an example of that. This Bulgarian fruit and vegetable sculptor creates true works of art in three dimensions with food. His creations range from animals with a surprising level of detail to patterns that, due to their symmetry and geometry, resemble mandalas.

Fascinated by his work, the awesome.club interviewed him to understand a little more about how Angel started to dedicate himself to this art and what are his favorite fruits and vegetables to work with.At the end of the post, you will find a bonus with a compilation of the diversity of shapes and animals that this creative and ingenious artist is able to carve.

Angel took her first steps in sculpture 7 years ago. “I was totally blown away by the dexterity, skills, technique and even the tools used to create small works of art from a watermelon, an apple or a turnip,” he exclusively told awesome.club🇧🇷

At the time, he was working in a small restaurant with a chef who, as he described it, was the “most horrible” he had ever had. That’s when Angel discovered that carving fruits and vegetables was something that relaxed him. Watching some videos on YouTube and with great tenacity, he began to perfect himself: he started with small flowers made from carrots and, little by little, he was improving his work with the carving of watermelon and pumpkins.

This constant quest to improve his technique paid off, and a short time later, Angel was hired as a sculptor at a prestigious hotel in Golden Sands, a coastal town in Bulgaria famous for being a popular tourist destination. From that time to the present, he has continued to perfect himself and has also started sculpting soaps.

Angel won two gold medals at the Balkan Culinary Cup, a contest that brings together the best chefs and pastry chefs in the region and today leads presentations where he shows his art live. “Sculptures made with watermelons and pumpkins are the most attractive to the public,” he says.

Fruit carving is an art form practiced for centuries in China and Thailand, closely linked to the mythological beliefs of these countries. That is why it is not strange that, at the beginning, the artist was inspired by some teachers from these regions in his creations. When Angel mastered the technique, he began sketching his own designs on a sheet of paper before recreating them in watermelons and pumpkins.

As for the flowers, another characteristic design of his works, the inspiration comes from nature, and his goal is to make them as real as possible. “I think that, over time, each master develops his individual work style”, he evaluates, referring to a technique that does not need to be compared to that of other artists of this type.

When choosing which foods to work with, Angel has an advantage: in Bulgaria, there is a lot of diversity of climate throughout the year, which allows you to have access to fruits and vegetables that are in season. “In summer, the most favorable and attractive fruit is watermelon, and during the cold months I work mainly with pumpkins.”

“I also tend to use a lot of root crops like turnips, celery and beets. Pumpkin is the most suitable fruit for carving because it is firm and plastic enough. The rest of the time, I use soap as the main material”, he concludes.

What do you think of these works of art? Do you have a talent you would like to develop more? Share your thoughts with us and the rest of the readers in the comments section.