Guthrie's violin maker

Oklahomans who visited Guthrie for the Centennial festivities discovered Guthrie is a town with a wide assortment of treasures, including artistic, cultural, historic and musical. In fact, there is one treasure that is all of those things strung into one.

Local artist Lukas Wronski is an accomplished violinist, but an even more accomplished violin maker.

Wronski, who is originally from Poland, produces violins that are also pieces of art. His 'Venus de Milo' attracted all the attention last weekend at the Guthrie Art Walk.

The violin called ‘The Spirit of Oklahoma' has a carved eagle's head, a native American scroll and turquoise inlay.

"Turquoise, it's beautiful," Wronski said. "I made the violin in honor of the 100 Oklahoma birthday."

The centennial violin was designated an official Centennial project.

"I thought it was amazing, the details on it were just absolutely amazing," he said. "I think it was probably one of the coolest pieces of art I've seen."

How this gifted, 30-year-old violin-making Pole came to be in Guthrie is a story in itself. His journey involves someone who can also play the violin although when Byron Berline plays it, it is known as the fiddle.

Last year while on a cruise Berline played a series of Bluegrass shows. Wronski was also on board and played violin as part of a classical trio.

"I saw Byron, first, on the ship, when he was performing his bluegrass music with the band," Wronski said.

The two met, and the conversation eventually turned to Wronski's future plans.

"He said that he would like to maybe relocate and try to make violins in another part of the country, and I said, well gosh, why don't you come to Guthrie, Guthrie Oklahoma and he says ‘It sounds interesting,' Berlin said.

"It was hard to take some kind of decision like that, to come to another country," Wrokski said. "Another culture, another people, another language, but I knew that it would be good for me."

So good in fact, Wronski felt inspired to honor his new home with a gift. A gift that was artistic, cultural, historic and certainly musical.