Professional artist Agnė Urbonavičienė found herself in her hometown and created a unique business

Talented young people from our region, who have graduated from the best Lithuanian higher education institutions, are increasingly returning to their native lands after their studies to share their talent with the locals and create their own businesses.

One of them is Agnė Urbonavičienė, a teacher at the Seirijui Antanas Žmuidzinavičius high school, who teaches children not only art, but also art perception, and has also created a unique business in Dzūkija.

The professional artist, who graduated from the Vilnius Art Academy, did not stay to continue her creative path in the capital, but returned to her hometown, where she is happy to be able to enjoy her work at the gymnasium and new creative activities.

Agnė discovered a new form of creative expression – she creates drawings not only on walls and sheets of paper, but also on people’s faces, turning her models into colorful characters of cartoons and forest creatures. The woman also works successfully, decorating people’s clothes with unique designs.

“The greatest happiness is when I see people who are happy with what I do with their faces or what their tired clothes turn into,” says the artist.

Agnė actively participates in the gathering of active women, develops her own original business.

“Dzūku žinios” talks to A. Urbonavičiene about the challenges they have to face, the specifics of pleasant work, and the desire to reveal children’s creative talents.

– Agne, you graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts. Why didn’t you choose big cities for your career, but returned to your homeland?

– I lived all my childhood in the village, in the Lazdija district. The city was very fascinating, I wanted to study in the city after finishing school, I was especially attracted to Kaunas. I have always associated myself with art and only wanted to study it. I chose to study textiles at the Vilnius Art Academy. However, when I finished my bachelor’s degree, I began to think about what I would like to do in life, what I would like to do. I have always loved children, so I decided that the job of an art teacher would be just for me. In addition, living in the city had not only advantages, but also disadvantages, one of them – expensive living. Therefore, I started looking for a teaching job in the Lazdija district. That’s how I returned to my native land.

– You are a textile specialist. Do you work in this field?

– At the moment, I am teaching drawing on clothes, before quite a bit later from wool, but now I am running out of time for this activity. Maybe in the future I will try to take up textiles again.

– How did the idea of ​​doing face painting come about? What motivated you to take up this activity?

– The idea of ​​owning my own business, additional income from my favorite activity – drawing, constantly crossed my mind. However, I have not refined the idea of ​​what exactly I want to do. I work at the Seirijus Antanas Žmuidzinavičius high school, where I had to draw on clothes and walls more than once. For the first time, I heard encouragement to create my own business from the high school principal. But I didn’t know where to start. Looking for help, in the fall of this year I joined the community of business and active women “Säkminga Aš” in Alytus. It was here from the mentors, the ambassador in Alytus and other members of the club that I received support, advice, all kinds of help that a woman like me who wants to create a business from scratch needs. I came with the idea that I want to create a business – to paint on clothes and walls according to individual orders, but I received an offer to paint on faces in creative workshops from a member of the community, the owner of the “Bingo” homestead, Jolita Saulevičienė, in whose homestead “Sękminga Aš” meetings take place. I thought why not? It was very timid because I hadn’t painted my face much, but I was so hooked on it that face painting became the main activity of all that I do in addition. I am very grateful to Jolita for this idea. I also paint on clothes and on walls according to individual orders. You can see my works on the “Touch of Colors” Facebook account.

– Painting on the human body is very delicate and responsible. Is there a need for psychological preparation of the creative subject before starting work? How do you do it?

– First of all, I reassure the client, I say that the paint washes off very easily, it does not require any special means, just water and soap or a regular face wash is enough. I use paints that do not cause allergies. Drawing on the face takes from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the complexity and size of the drawing. By listing these aspects, the customer knows what to expect. Then you can start negotiating about the drawing.

– What gives you the greatest satisfaction in this job? Who are the recipients of your service?

– I feel great pleasure while drawing. It’s like relaxation for me. The process itself is very fun. And everything is crowned by the pleasantly surprised face of the customer when he sees himself in the mirror. This is the best moment. I draw smiley faces for children at birthday celebrations, camps, various events where children need to be occupied. I also paint faces for adults at various themed parties and bachelorette parties. If you don’t want it on the face, I can paint on the back or hand, as the customer wants.

– What are the specifics of this creative work?

– In the beginning, I was really timid, because the face is not a sheet of paper with a smooth surface. Everyone’s skin is different. I use non-allergenic paints for body painting. I will first briefly tell you how the drawing will take place, how long it will take. I discuss with the client what his favorite motifs are. If it is an adult, then we discuss what symbols, drawings, ornaments he likes. If the client is a child, then I find out what animals and cartoon characters he likes. I take into account the shape of the face, the color of the eyes and hair. I match the design to the client’s face and, if necessary, subtly advise what would be more suitable. After all, the most important thing is a great final result and a satisfied customer.

– You also decorate clothes. What are the most common customer requests? What unexpected requests have you received? Who should be interested in decorating clothes?

– I started drawing on clothes in high school, when I had to supervise the students’ educational company. Later I started to draw on the workers myself. I started teaching drawing on clothes for children and adults. Teenagers prefer the most interesting drawings. These are variously decorated and stylized skulls, skeletons and similar creepy drawings. I try to draw them differently every time so that they don’t repeat themselves, after all, you wouldn’t want to meet a person on the street with clothes decorated with the same drawing. Everyone strives for originality.

– You also work at a school, teaching children art and understanding of art. Are there many creative children in schools, are they interested in art? How can the creative beginnings of young people be awakened?

– There are a lot of creative children in our high school, but often they don’t trust their abilities, they don’t know what talent they hide. I try to see in which area the child is talented, I encourage him to draw more, train his hand, show how to draw the desired object, how to give it a realism, volume effect. The most important thing is not to extinguish the child’s desire and individuality. The younger the children, the more interesting their work is, because they draw bolder and do not try to draw everything according to the standard representation we are used to. I encourage them to experiment and unleash their creativity, because the sun doesn’t have to be yellow or orange and the sky blue. And why can’t it be the other way around sometimes? Accustomed to non-standard thinking, such a child will learn to solve various questions and tasks in a non-standard and original way in the future. After all, it can be useful not only in art, but also in any area of ​​life, even in a difficult situation. The most important thing is not to stifle children’s creativity. And children will be able to learn to draw according to the standards.

– What is the mission of a professional artist in the periphery? What are your wishes and goals while working in Dzūkija?

– My work and the business I am creating take me, I feel that I am doing what is dear to my heart. In the periphery, the artist faces both pluses and minuses. In a smaller city or town, it is a bit more difficult to find a service recipient than in a city, because the population is larger in a big city. Distance is also a bit of a hindrance because everything is based on money. Sometimes I get a larger order in another city, but the cost of fuel is quite high. However, the plus is that there is significantly less competition here than in the big city. Here, residents are not yet spoiled by the large supply. My goal is to improve, improve and improve again. I’m deepening my knowledge, I’m looking for more and more impressive paint palettes, I’m trying different drawing techniques, I want my works to be original and unique. I want to reach the largest possible audience not only in Dzūkija. Social networks are very useful for this. Of course, everything requires a lot of work. However, I am sure that I will definitely achieve my goal.