Saulius Vaitiekūnas

Terra Recognita

Jewellery maker

©Donatas Babenskas

©Jurgita Ludavičienė

©Lina Virgailytė

©Donatas Babenskas

Stones to unlock life’s mysteries

Saulius is always looking for stones from the Baltic Sea and fieldstones
He came to jewellery after quitting his career as a lawyer
Every piece of his jewellery has a deep meaning

Saulius Vaitiekūnas never studied jewellery-making. He came to it having quit his career as a lawyer and determined to become an artists. He has followed this vocation unwaveringly for over three decades. Vaitiekūnas creates jewellery from Baltic sea stones with silver inlays. He also creates large-scale installations and regularly participates in exhibitions and jewellery fairs. His jewellery pieces are made of stone and silver, they often feature signs – pictographs and Baltic ornaments – which are like letters to the future, to be read when we are no longer here. He is extremely attached to the Lithuanian land, which provides a source of strength and inspiration for him. It is, therefore, not a coincidence that Vaitiekūnas’ foundation and gallery are called Terra Recognita – “a land known again”.

Interview

©Gediminas Kajėnas

©Jurgita Ludavičienė

Do you remember the moment you decided to become an artist?: When my mum and I visited her friend who worked with amber. I was very impressed by the chaos on her desk, with all those mini pliers, little engines and all sorts of tools. Gradually jewellery became my hobby – I had discovered what I enjoyed doing.
Do you have any specific techniques?: Yes, it’s inlaying stones with silver. A stone is a ready-made shape, I try to change it only slightly, to recognise the sign that the stone contains and to highlight it. The stone leaves my hands ever so slightly altered by our encounter, but leaves me changed, too.
How do you know when you’ve created a good piece?: I see stones as simply harder clumps of earth. I continue the peasant tradition of working the land: only my plough is a little different and the clumps of earth are harder, but the principle is the same. That continuity is very meaningful to me.
What is most important for an artist?: To feel that you have to do what you do. To feel that this is your place and no other. If you don’t have that feeling, you will not be able to withstand criticism and will be very vulnerable to everything those around you might say.

Saulius Vaitiekūnas is a master artisan: he began his career in 1987 and he started teaching in 2010