Could you please introduce yourself?
I am a twenty-seven-year-old enthusiast of many things. There is something that I can find in common with most people so I like that about myself. I am a big fan of racquetball and other sorts of body movement. Nature is my favorite topic of discussion. Additionally, I enjoy making art and taking care of plants and animals. My new hobby that I have taken up only a few months ago is to keep an aquarium; it has greatly enriched my time at home. I don’t go out very much, therefore, that allows me to allocate time for things that show results.
Why did you decide to come to Lithuania and study at LCC?
While at work back in Chicago, a colleague told me about LCC and I got interested because I was planning to come to Lithuania for some personal reasons, so I thought I would give it a shot. I was accepted and decided to stay in Lithuania to finish my studies. I am extremely grateful for having this opportunity to study again; back when I attended a community college near my home in Lemont, IL, I took it all for granted. I did not invest so much time and effort into opportunities that College of DuPage could have offered had I been more engaged.
Could you tell us more about your art? When did you start painting?
I painted my first painting when I was in the 10th grade - shout out to Ms. Wing for teaching me to stretch a canvas. Since then I have not painted any pictures; I just doodled during classes in school and college. I moved to live in Hawaii, where I spent six months working and having the most wonderful time, exploring jungles and the ocean. There I was filled with inspiration, watching the sun over the ocean, with a palm tree and an island far away. It is also where I met my dear friends with whom I spent a lot of time going on our adventures and from whom I received constant support and positive feedback. It really woke up the artist in me.
You are involved in many activities on campus. What is your motivation to participate in extracurricular activities and where are you currently involved?
It’s a bit ridiculous but the more you do, the more time you find to do those things that you love. The quality of my homework might suffer a little; however, I just can’t seem to say “no” to things. To others it may seem easy to stop taking part in activities; however, I get this notion that if I don’t go ahead with the crazy ideas, no one else is going to try them either. The concept of thinking outside the box does in a way relate to crazy ideas. If I had to list my priorities, my personal life would come first, followed by school work, Student Council responsibilities, Rotaract member responsibilities, Aquarium, and finally the art world.
You have participated in the Klaipeda Light festival and introduced your exhibition at LCC to a broader audience. What is your vision for your art?
Hopefully I will move my art from one location to another without having to bring it home again. I was so very excited to finally hang my art and show all my friends the art I had made. Most of it was made last year, when I had a little more time to paint in the evenings. As I like bright vivid colors, putting the painting under color-changing Christmas lights created a certain change in color that I aimed to exhibit during the lights festival.
What are your future plans or long-term goals?
Everyone keeps telling me that good artists are all dead and that most of the famous artists never grew to see their art become famous. No matter how much I work as an artist I will have a hard time making ends meet; therefore, I decided to dabble with politics, and keep my art as a hobby. If I do notice one day that the income from my art is exceeding that of my first job, then I would consider becoming a full-time artist. I would like to become good at marketing my work. I hope one day to be able to say that the items in production under such and such brand have my art on them. Maybe one day I will have an opportunity to start painting murals; I am fascinated by buildings with large images on them.
