Stained glass artist Guoda Kvietinskaitė, a graduate of the Glass, Ceramics, Leather, Textile Art study programme of the Faculty of Arts and Education of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences (KUAS) became the winner of the international and prestigious annual Stevens Architectural Glass Competition. Stained glass created by G. Kvietinskaitė has decorated the interior of a private girls’ school in West London. According to the artist, preparing for competitions is no less inspiring than victories.
In the interview, G. Kvietinskaitė talks about her studies and the opportunity she used during them to go to Turkey to deepen her knowledge, gain more practice, learn new glass techniques. Also, the artist reveals what interests her about the classic stained glass technique and shares her experience, why a modern artist needs to be active on social media.
Controlling the glass material and mastering its techniques is not easy. What prompted you to choose this field of applied art?
Glass has fascinated me since childhood. Stained glass windows of Kaunas churches, the play of the sun in them and the reflections of various colours falling on the ground had stuck in my memory. Glass is not a completely predictable material, so it is not easy to present a sketch or visualisation of the stained glass project being created for the customer because I can never be completely sure of the final result, which is dependent on the time of day, the season or the artificial light source.
Did your creative path begin with your studies at the Academy of Arts of the Faculty of Arts and Education of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences? How do you remember the time you spent studying?
The memories remained the best: professional lecturers whose advice and help I always received, good spaces for creativity and work, necessary tools provided. I am glad that during my studies I had the opportunity to take advantage of the Erasmus+ programme and go to Turkey, where I deepened my knowledge and skills of stained glass, tried hot glass techniques: glass blowing, casting, making balls (beads).
Creations made of glass are classified as applied art, but looking at your works, it seems that you move away from decorativeness and functionality in your works, and the glass material becomes a means of realising conceptual ideas.
I have always admired traditional stained glass – its technique and history. I want to contribute to the restoration of the impression of this craft and to show this wonderful art, classifying it not only as a sacred church image, but to encourage the discovery of stained glass through the prism of contemporary art.
You showed a series of portraits to the users of social media in the latest exhibition presented on the account of the Facebook platform “Uncancelled Openings”. What makes the portrait genre interesting to you? Does it prevail in your work?
I really like to draw, especially portraits. Four years ago I decided to paint portraits on glass, create stained glass. Light reflexes emphasise the delicacy, character, and rhythm of each of them and gives playfulness.
Do you think an artist should be active on social media? Is it important only for the publicity of creation?
In today’s world of advanced technology, I think social media has a lot of potential. The customer orders I receive in my accounts only confirm this. Therefore, it is both important and useful for an artist to be active on social networks.
A series of portraits, presented in a virtual exhibition, created using the stained glass technique. What opportunities did this technique give you in implementing your ideas?
In the series of portraits, it was possible to combine the classic technique of stained glass with the ideas of conceptual art. Traditional + modern = a combination that works wonderfully. Works created by reviving and modernising traditional crafts, techniques, and materials are noticed and desired in today’s art market.
Does the stained glass technique dominate in your work?
It fascinates me the most.
After becoming the winner of the internationally renowned and prestigious annual Stevens Architectural Glass Competition, you created a stained glass window for a private school for girls in West London. Isn’t it difficult to move from artistic projects to commissioned work, where creative decisions are influenced by the client?
Competitions only feature a topic. The artist can reflect it in his work without feeling any restrictions. Such competitions make a lot of sense because when creating for a specific customer, the creator has complete freedom to implement the idea.
Is participating in competitions a big challenge for an artist? Victory is always very pleasant, and defeat can be hard to bear.
It is a very fun and inspiring process to prepare for the competition, and when you become a laureate after the customer chooses your idea, the next pleasant stage begins – its implementation. I try to implement the ideas of all the competitions’, regardless of whether they won or not, only in smaller formats and thus accumulate my collection of works that I would like to show in a personal exhibition.
You currently live and work in London. Can you compare the difference between the opportunities for a young artist to realise himself in Lithuania and the United Kingdom? Do you think you’ve found your niche in London’s art field? Perhaps this multicultural, dynamic city influenced your work?
I left for the United Kingdom after finishing my studies, I did not create in Lithuania. I discovered a glass studio in London where I could realise myself. I think it doesn’t matter in which country the artist creates. The most important thing is to participate in exhibitions, competitions, and publicise your creations on social networks. This is the only way to get attention and orders.
You can learn more about Guoda Kvietinskaitė’s work on Instagram – @guodastglass
