Algirdas Padleckis

Stones... Huge rocks. An outdoor museum. That‘s all I can remember about that small Lithuanian town called Mosėdis which I visited a million years ago. But this time I won‘t be talking about this wonderful and a little bit mystical place. I‘d like to surprise you with something else.

Painting, design, poetry. And a young person who is into these artistic things. My compliments go to Algirdas Padleckis who was born in that lovely town of Mosėdis.

We can call him the Cyp. Algirdas says that wherever he goes, everytime he gets a nickname. But he does not complain, he likes it.

Algirdas

Algirdas was painting as far back as he can remember himself. His mother said when he was 5 year old he used to get up early in the morning and start painting. He stayed in pajamas until his idea was materialized on the paper.

Algirdas was noticed at school. His teacher sent him to the art class for gifted students.  He used to paint there, at home, everywhere… The painter admits that doing homework was the biggest bugbear for him. He used to pretend that he was doing it, but obviously he was painting, painting... Then he started to attend "Skuodas Art School". Algirdas says that he studied there for five years and learned a lot during this time from really good professionals. He was drawing all the time and tried to be universal. He wants to try new areas. Even at a young age when children used to play computer games he analyzed a range of drawings, photo editing programs. He was drawing with a pencil and later he became interested in graffiti art, then in illustration, painting. This summer he went on aerography. Now his attention is devoted to animation. When Algirdas was a little boy, he used to watch cartoons, thinking how could they be done and now as he has some understanding he dreams about animation art studies.

What can you say about your work, what messages and expressions do they cary? In my works, I convey my mood, feelings, ever present human issues and problems that affect me too. No matter what is the work,  a portrait or a figure, or ...I leave a part of myself in my works, I even don’t try to express my mood, I just leave it in there in a form of colors, lines, strokes, contrasts. Parents told me when I was little I had a toy, a pyramid which was composed of a different color and size lambs. I used to put it in different sizes. Parents thought that I did not understand that it should be arranged as a pyramid - in descending order - then they noticed that I was trying to arrange it by colors. I was fascinated by colors even then, colors meant a lot to me back then as they mean now. I want my works just to draw people's attention at the first glimpse, I don’t want them understand the idea of the painting immediately. The solution of a riddle provides even greater connection between me and the viewer, explains Algirdas.



Painting

My dream is to held exhibitions, Algirdas doesn’t hide his wish. The time has to come. Lots of his works are on his friends’ walls… But he believes that soon he will be able to gladden people with his exhibitions.

For him inspiration is something that makes him to get out of bed, take a sheet of paper and draw. Or stop everything that he is doing and let that idea flow from his head onto paper. Algirdas says you don’t need to wait for inspiration. And those who say I’m waiting for it to do something, are just sloths. For me, it doesn’t matter if I am in a good or bad mood, he adds. The mood colors the work. My inspiration is my way of life with its pits and holes.

 I asked Algirdas what artists he liked, and without hesitation he mentioned Leonardo Da Vinci because of his greatness and versatility. Algirdas admires Michelangelo because of his heroic acts and his character - the grieving genius. Salvador Dali because of his personality and  Banksy, because of his protests, mystery, ways of expression and his ideas.

Let’s talk about design studies. Algirdas says that at first he didn’t want to study interior design, but now he is happy studying at Vilnius Design College. I got the freedom here, I became interested in design, I met with like-minded people. Freedom is the most important thing for a person, I always needed it. When you live in a small town you don’t see what’s going on outside it. You want to be yourself, but you can’t, you are forced. When I arrived to Vilnius and started studying at the College, I got everything I needed, everything I was lacking in small town.  I got a new breathe of freedom, peace, understanding, creativity and a knowledge, of course. Everything I found here. And design is everywhere, that’s why it fascinates me.

Now it’s time to hear more about Algirdas’ projects. This guy is busy: interesting studies with exciting tasks, workshops, contests… All projects are different and so unique that he cannot compare one with another. His future sounds promising – even more and more projects are waiting ahead. What is surprising for me to hear is that studies atmosphere there is creative, warm and inspired by teachers who try to help for each student no matter what it is about.

Another talent is poetry. I was wondering has he ever thought about publishing a book. He admitted that it was one of his dreams. Writing is something this guy does when he feels he has to leave all bad emotions on the paper.  Somehow he believes that bad emotions can come back if he tries to read it again that’s why he doesn’t like editing his poems.  However, this is not always so, here you can find one of his poems:

STOVIU VIENAS LYG ŽVAKĖ

IR STOVIU VIENAS,

STOVIU VIENAS- LYG ŽVAKĖ...

SU SAVO JAUSMAIS...

SU SAVO MINTIM...

PABEGT AŠ NIEKUR NEGALIU.

DEGA ŠEŠĖLIS ŽVAKĖS LIEPSNOJE

IR SEKA MINTYS MANO GALVOJE,

KODĖL AŠ VIENAS?!...

KODĖL KAIP ŽVAKĖ?!...

KUR VIRVĖ PRIRIŠTA?

KADA NUTRŪKS JI?!...

MAN GANA!!!...

IR STOVIU VĖL,

LYG ŽVAKĖ, SAU VIENAS...

VIENAS, KAIP MEDŽIO KAMIENAS...

TU UŽPŪTEI ŽVAKĘ MANY,

UŽGESO LIEPSNA ŠIRDY,

APLINK TAIP TAMSU,

ŽIŪRIU VISUR, KUR TU?...

TU UŽPŪTEI ŽVAKĘ

IR VILTY MANY,

NEBETIKIU DŽIAUGSMU ATEITY...

UŽGESO LIEPSNA AMŽINA...

DEGTUKU – NEPRIKELIAMA...

Also click on the link to see Algirdas’ works:  http://www.thecyp.tk/

I would like to say thank you to my fabulous friends Egle Taro, Kriste and Juozas for helping me to prepare this article.