He spent his entire life in Lipnica Wielka in Orava. He lived with the family who hired him to herd animals and help on the farm. His nickname, ‘Heródek’, was coined by his neighbours. He lived alone and kept to himself but wanted to be useful; for years, worked unsuccessfully at reinforcing the banks of a stream so that the water would not flood nearby houses He led funeral processions and, at weddings, played the violin he had made himself. Those who knew him remember his cheerful eyes and picaresque style. He would transform thick firewood into images of angels and saints. He would place them in meadows or streams believing that people seeing them would become good. He only used a few colours to paint the sculptures and marked the attributes perfunctorily. The only detail he stressed were large, round or almond eyes. When asked why he did not carefully sculpt the legs, the figure or other anatomical details, he would reply that it was all there, just hidden under the clothes. He called his sculptures ‘Pany’ and liked to stay among them. Some of them he refused to sell at any price. He never haggled and shared the money earned with others.