Journey
The collection of works is entitled ‘Journey’ because these canvases represent the never-ending journey of discovery we face in our lives.
There was a period in Daina’s life where travels abroad seemed practically impossible. The Iron Curtain split Europe in two, and life in the eat proved to produce an abundance of unforgettable experiences.
The land of the authors ancestors gave birth to mighty warriors. Ones that crushed the Teutonic Order, and blocked their invasion into the east, when almost all of Europe was at its knees.
The Lithuanian language that is deeply rooted within Daina is one of the oldest on Earth and therefore has the power to being a host of other related languages and dialects together.
The clouds and the soil of the motherland were the teachers that nurtured and disciplined her. They taught her to see the beauty in everything around her and consequently art became an integral part of her life.
The lifting of the Iron Curtain revealed a whole new world to Daina. Her travels to the newly open west revealed that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it’s greener where you water it.
People on earth differ in their appearances, their religious teachings and their geographical locations, but ultimately we are united by the same beginning and end. Though through our detachment we try to emphasize our individuality, we are connected by more elements than divide us.
The grand question Daina’s canvases try to explore is what divides us and what unites us, and how our own thought out symbols do both.
Through the use of pigmented oils Daina tried to capture these symbols. The juxtaposition of the bright colours against the primarily black background tricks the eye into seeing a two-dimensional image as three-dimensional. The use of primary colours is also non-accidental. Both of the authors home countries, England and Lithuania, have heraldry that are composed of these colours. It turns out that Ancient Celtic, Ancient Baltic and Anglo-Saxon history has more in common than one would initially think.
Daina is a fan of Dutch renaissance era still life where a lot of symbolism can be observed in art. In the age of reforms new religious teachings forces artists to use symbols in their art in order to express their true thoughts, for example, a spilled glass of wine represented the sacrifice of Christ.
Gold, silver and bronze were the most precious metals, that were awarded to champions worn by the likes of kings. Jewellers used and continue to use these metals to create priceless ornaments.
The mirror reflects everything on its silver canvas. The old worn glass shows more than just a reflection, its shows our views on ourselves, what’s touchable and what’s deep inside. This is precisely why her canvases are framed by these precious metals.
Daina warmly invites you to visit her works in person at her exhibition. She hopes that every guest has something they can take from her creations.
