Odeta Bražėnienė

Paper cutter

©Adelė Bražėnaitė

Cut folk art

Odeta grew up in a family of craftsmen
She became interested in paper cuttings as a child
She has been making paper cuttings for more than 40 years

Odeta Bražėnienė first saw paper cuttings as a child in a village near Rokiškis, where an elderly relative lived. It was in an old village house with an earthen floor that she first picked up a pair of scissors and cut ornaments to decorate shelves. She returned to this activity later, while studying in Vilnius. She joined the Union of Folk Artists and immediately began to participate actively in exhibitions. The active and talented craftswoman was soon noticed and received well deserved appreciation. In more than four decades of creative activity, she has held 40 solo exhibitions, which have toured various galleries in Lithuania, Poland, Russia and the US, she has also participated in more than 100 group exhibitions in various countries. Her works have been acquired by the museums of Rokiškis, Kupiškis and Utena. She is the author of eight books on cuttings. She never tires of admiring and popularising this craft. All her work is based on Lithuanian folk art, the plots of folk tales and songs, its ornaments and symbolic meanings, which she translates onto paper.

Interview

©Adelė Bražėnaitė

©Adelė Bražėnaitė

How did you get interested in paper cuttings?: I never thought of it as art, it was natural for me to do something with my hands. I come from a family of craftsmen: my grandparents and parents. I saw paper cuttings for the first time when I was eight years old, visiting a relative, later I started making them alongside my studying, and began exhibiting right away – I never stopped.
What do you like most about your craft?: It allows me to reveal my personality. I use the cuttings to express anything I want. I am fascinated by its relationship to folk art: the symmetry, the rhythm, the motifs that can be recognised in spindles, wood carvings and fabrics.
How does your craft relate to Lithuania?: I find traditions and cultural heritage in paper cuttings. Although cuttings were not historically used as paintings, they had a more utilitarian purpose, whereas in the paper cuttings I make, you can see motifs and symbols, details that are characteristic of the old Lithuanian folk art.
What inspires you?: Everything from my childhood and my village. I lived in an environment full of folk art, fabrics, folk music and crosses. My aunt was a weaver, my grandfather was a blacksmith: it was very natural to be surrounded by folk art. So I didn't need to look outside for inspiration, I just need to look within.

Odeta Bražėnienė is a master artisan: she began her career in 1983 and she started teaching in 1996