Snow, Sun and Trees

Here are some photos I took last week in the park. The days were sunny, except for a couple of snowstorms during the first days of March. It even got warm at some point, but not for too long, it's Lithuania after all.

This park is so peaceful, just like a forest. We're happy to have such a nice and quite place within a walking distance from our home. I really enjoy looking up at those tall trees against the clear sky or the beautiful light coming out through dark trees. Found some funny snowmen too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panorama of Vilnius Old Town

This week was unusually sunny in Vilnius. The last days of February felt almost like spring. However, when March finally arrived with the bright sun in the morning, a harsh snowstorm during the midday ruined any feeling of spring coming to Lithuania. What a contrast in just one day! Luckily, today was very sunny and beautiful, perfect for a walk in a nearby park. I'll post some photos I took in it later on.

For now, enjoy these photos of Vilnius Old Town, which I captured on Monday, after a weekly critique of my BA project at Vilnius Academy of Arts. My sister and I decided to climb the hill of Gediminas castle to enjoy the sunny panorama of our snowy capital.

A very small Gediminas castle (now a museum)



Neris river separates the Old Town from the rest of this large city



 

Vilnius Academy of Arts in the middle, besides St. Anne's church

Small river passes by our academy and flows into Neris

Vilnius Book Fair 2013

Here's my review of the annual book fair in Vilnius, which I visited last week together with my sister. We didn't stay too long at the fair, but looked through various stands and exhibitions. Below I'll mention publishers and artists whose books were exhibited at the fair.

There were lots of interesting picture books on display including those by Le immagini della fantasia and Corraini from Italy and Les Trois Ourses from France. Minedition featured the playful books of the Czech illustrator Květa Pacovská, subtly illustrated books by Austrian illustrator Lisbeth Zverger and a collection of small interactive books by Yusuke Yonezu, most of which you can flip through on their website. Among the guests of the fair was the Italian children's book illustrator Eva Montanari who had a workshop with kids on Friday; however, we didn't get to meet her.

We chose to go on Saturday because of the lectures about Polish comics. As a form of storytelling, comics excite me just as much as picture books or animation and I haven't stopped reading them since I was a kid. During these lectures I discovered that comics are very popular in Poland. They collaborate with comics artists from different countries in the international project called City Stories. I got a free copy of their latest book with Ukrainian comics artists for asking a question. They also hold the International Festival of Comics and Game every year. The largest comics festival in Europe is in Angoulême, France.

Another guest at the fair was the French illustrator Alexandre Clérisse presenting his latest comic book, which was translated into Lithuanian. We had a meeting with this artist at our academy, where he talked about the history of comics, creation of his comic books and did a demo of his digital collage-like illustrating technique. His recently published comic book Souvenirs de l’empire de l’Atome is a collaboration, but Clerisse's got some interesting ones written and illustrated by himself. Jazz Club, for example, was created for a website as a comic improvisation without a script. Very interesting, indeed.

Here's what caught my attention during the Vilnius Book Fair this year:

 Book projects by Graphics students of Vilnius Academy of Arts
 

Exhibition of new books for children

The longest book created by kids at a workshop in 2012

 Outstanding books by Katsumi Komagata
 

 

Books illustrated by Lisbeth Zverger

"Nieko Rimto" - Lithuanian publisher of children's books

Lithuanian author and illustrator Kęstutis Kasparavičius signing books
(six of his stories were made into an interactive e-book)

Italian book character Geronimo Stilton

Presentation of a Lithuanian book for children

Origami corner

Kitokia Grafika - Lithuanian publisher of comics

EU flags exhibition - collaboration by seven Lithuanian artists

Lithuanian Winter

Before it's actually over, I'd like to share some photos of the beautiful winter in my country Lithuania. It's actually the most stunning when sun is shining. My favourite thing to do on such days is walking in a park nearby. So magical and so peaceful, even with kids playing around in snow. I can't help but smile when I see those enthusiastic little creatures or a weird snowman left behind them. Those are the best things about Lithuanian winter, in my opinion. Of course, you have to visit here and see for yourselves :)

 

A big forest near my hometown Siauliai I love to visit.

Look at those endlessly tall snowy pines

 

Vilnius in the evening

I realized kids are the best artists out there, or at least the most sincere.

Just look at those majestic masterpieces of snow we found in a park in Vilnius!

 

 

My sister insisted we build a small one too...

 

 

Walking along a frozen river in the same park

 

 

 

This was just a glimpse of what Lituanian winter actually looks like. Too bad we don't have that many sunny days. That's probably why I prefer summer or spring, but Lithuania can be beautiful in any season, autumn, winter, spring or summer. The nature is just fantastic and that's probably the main reason why I love my small country so much. Nature is a huge treasure and a constant source of inspiration for me.