Artist Statement

In my portraits of Lithuanian refugees I celebrate the beauty and pride of a culture that persists in spite of displacement, occupation and turmoil. My work emits a nostalgic feeling and shines a light on a cross-section of communities and immigrants; it relates to those who miss their homeland. My baltic subjects include people in traditional folk costumes, historical architecture, famous dishes, and scenery from Lithuanian countrysides, forests, and seas. I celebrate the nation’s culture by painting with vivid warm colors to represent its happy and vibrant community. I depict their trauma and unease by painting with cold and desaturated colors. I leave the backgrounds vague using solid blocks of color which highlights the timelessness of these experiences and struggles. I incorporate details and organic flowing shapes to capture beauty withstanding the turmoil of deportation. This culminates to an expression of a culture and the impact of displacement.