Ugnė Blažytė-Tamašauskienė & Danas Tamašauskas

Dujuvelyrika

Jewellery maker

Enamelled symbols crafted in unison

Handcrafting jewellery brings great joy to Ugnė and Danas
They see jewellery as a way of conveying deep meaning in small objects
Their favourite technique is enamel

Danas Tamašauskas and Ugnė Blažytė-Tamašauskienė are two jewellery makers who have been working together since 2010. The couple lives in a picturesque house in the countryside, enjoying the tranquility of nature all around their home. They weave different techniques and materials into their work, trying to convey encoded Baltic symbols – signs of time and destiny and shapes of nature that inspire them. Ugnė and Danas love colours, different materials, and sculptural forms. Ugnė came to jewellery from painting, while Danas sees jewellery as mini-sculpture. That is why coloured enamel, precious stones, bone, and amber can be found in their pieces. Working together, they feel, understand, and complement each other. "Jewellery is a symbol of a relationship, as if a piece of jewellery contains a feeling people want to hold on to, to make sense of the moment, and cultivate the joy it brings," they explain.

Interview

What do you like about jewellery?: An idea can be revealed through small objects. Jewellery is, in a sense, a mini-sculpture that contains an idea but does not require a large space to materialise it. Jewellery is like Borges' novels – in a small piece, you can develop a profound idea quickly.
What is your source of inspiration?: We live in nature, so we draw inspiration from it every day. We are also inspired by the symbols of the Baltic culture, which have many meanings behind them. Symbols are small things that say a lot and have a lot of substance. We are also inspired by organic shapes and admire the colours and lines of Art Nouveau.
Do you have a favourite technique?: We like to combine different techniques and materials – metal, bone, amber – but we are very fond of enamel colours and the painterly quality it brings. Enamel can be extremely varied as a visual element, geometric, colourful, transparent, matte.
What are your professional values?: To do the best we can. The creative process itself is very important to us, and we immerse ourselves in creative exploration. We are very self-critical and we are usually not satisfied with what we do. So the technical execution, the quality of the work is extremely important.

Ugnė Blažytė-Tamašauskienė & Danas Tamašauskas are expert artisans: they began their career in 2010