Valdas Pukevičius

Ceramicist

©Valdas Pukevicius

Growing up with ceramics

Valdas enjoys innovating and experimenting with ceramics
His work is born out of joy
To him, an object must be beautiful, functional and reflect its maker

Valdas Pukevičius is a man whose whole life has been dedicated to ceramics. Since the age of 10, when his mother first took him to art school, he has been creating ceramic plates, cups, bowls, decorative plates, and sculptural objects. "In a way, my life is not interesting – it is just ceramics. There is nothing else I have wanted to do," says Valdas. After his master's studies at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Valdas immersed himself in transferring drawings onto ceramics, using decals. Later he became interested in colour, turning his plates into canvases where colour reigns. Today he is moving away from plane objects towards voluminous creations, making sculptures for exhibitions. Valdas constantly balances self-criticism, accuracy and technical perfection while engineering what he calls controlled accidents. Ceramics delight and surprise him every day.

Interview

©Valdas Pukevicius

©Valdas Pukevicius

What attracts you most to ceramics?: In my early work, I was very interested in graphics in ceramics: the decals, the clarity of the drawing, and how to convey this from a technical point of view. I am also very interested in bright, contrasting colours and how to combine them. I do not like to work safely, I need colour and compositional challenges, and I am pleased when I overcome them.
When do you consider a piece of work to be good?: The work has to be technically sound first of all. For me, that is very important. It has to be not too thick, not too thin, and not crooked, and the colours have to be what you wanted, not what you "got." Randomness is fundamental to me, but I aim for it. It has to be deliberate and controlled.
What was a memorable creative moment?: I am keen to try everything new, including the range of innovations and possibilities. One of the most interesting creative projects in recent years was a collaboration with fashion designer Alexander Pogrebnoy: we designed the outfit for the Lithuanian biathlon team for the Beijing Olympics. A print of a ceramic panel I designed was used for this outfit.
Where does your inspiration come from?: If there is no inspiration, I cannot create at all. I cannot create when I am in a bad mood, either. Others create out of suffering, but my work is born out of joy. I do believe, however, that the energy you put into your work stays there. I am inspired by what is new, I am interested in testing, feeling, and adapting, and driven by the new and fresh.

Valdas Pukevičius is a master artisan: he began his career in 2009 and he started teaching in 2011