Voodoo dolls

Arvydas Martinaitis was born in a family of prominent Lithuanian artists. He is the son of the famous Antanas Martinaitis, and the grandson of the cartoonist Jonas Martinaitis. The author himself says of the almighty genes: "The creative ambitions of my grandfather, father and uncle were passed on to me. I feel as if I am encoded. Maybe I could go a few months without a brush and a canvas, but soon I would start using art again." But we won't go on about family ties and comparisons - we want to tell you as much as possible about Arvydas, who, like his predecessors, is making his own path in the art worl.

You will always recognise Arvydas Martinaitis's paintings first and foremost from the bright colours, the thick textures, the expressive brushstrokes, and the very impression of the abundance of everything: plants, houses, people, animals, both real and fictional. It is this abundance, which conveys the artist's inner, optimistic world, that invites us to join him on an adventure of exploration and discovery.

For the artist himself, the most important thing is to convey the emotion of the moment, to capture its fragility, as he says, "not to redraw a old sketches, but to create on the spot, otherwise it will be a copied sketch, a frozen drawing. The painting will have no spirit." Therefore, Arvydas puts down the canvas with feeling, and works hastily until the emotion is gone. You feel tired, he says, and you could leave the work for the next day, but the next day you won't get the feeling.

And after painting, Arvydas finds it even more important to share his work with others, "because when you close the door of the studio, it seems to be a pleasure that only the artist feels and experiences, but I want to share it." So, we share and we hope that like us, you will engage with Arvydas's life-changing, crowded, dynamic works.