Do you remember the moment you decided to become an artist?
When my mum and I visited her friend who worked with amber. I was very impressed by the chaos on her desk, with all those mini pliers, little engines and all sorts of tools. Gradually jewellery became my hobby – I had discovered what I enjoyed doing.
Do you have any specific techniques?
Yes, it’s inlaying stones with silver. A stone is a ready-made shape, I try to change it only slightly, to recognise the sign that the stone contains and to highlight it. The stone leaves my hands ever so slightly altered by our encounter, but leaves me changed, too.
©Jurgita Ludavičienė
How do you know when you’ve created a good piece?
I see stones as simply harder clumps of earth. I continue the peasant tradition of working the land: only my plough is a little different and the clumps of earth are harder, but the principle is the same. That continuity is very meaningful to me.
What is most important for an artist?
To feel that you have to do what you do. To feel that this is your place and no other. If you don’t have that feeling, you will not be able to withstand criticism and will be very vulnerable to everything those around you might say.