Colourful and distinct Vėtrė Antanavičiūtė's photoworks suddenly attracted our attention when we found her internet site. When we looked at the pictures a lot of questions cropped up so we really wanted to meet the author in person. After all, creation is the reflection of a person's inner world. So if you know the person you can find the key to his creations...
    In the beginning of his creative road in the world of suspended gleams every photoartist goes through the first confrontation with the camera. The attraction of looking through the lens for the first time Vėtrė felt in her childhood, when she was only six years old. But why did she decide to start photographing? Maybe her father, who liked this business, was an authority to her or maybe it was just childish curiosity. "Everything is born in childhood; every creative thought comes from there. When I was a child I was able to see all kinds of factures, silhouettes and various images in puddles and on crumbled walls. And now they turn into my thoughts and creative ideas", the photoartist says.
    When asked how the ideas are born and which one comes first, a vision or an idea, Vėtrė replies that "a vision is always besides me, it can manifest suddenly anytime. This is the greatest worth".
    A lot of her cycles, series were born as the reflections of incidental and surprising things of the world. "For example, series 'Budistinės sakmės' ('Buddhist stories') was created, when I imagined a friar on top of the mountain. And I imagined him thinking about one trip. Once my friends and I were having a good time near the lake. My friends got frozen and wrapped up in their towels. I noticed how contiguous to the friars they were. Later this contiguity gave start to my new series. An idea always follows the contiguity. Both of contiguity and idea are living inside a man. I always create series from my inner world. But when series is born in my mind, it must already have been there and grown, matured. Firstly I think what things I'll need to translate my idea into action, I find and collect them, only then I photograph".
    Creation is the expression of person's mind, the unseen. The way of this conversion is long and confusing. Probably because of that it's so interesting... We asked Vėtrė how and into what her ideas change. "They change every moment. You live and feel ideas changing inside. When I was creating series 'Sekretai'('Secrets'), my cat barged in the pick again and again. 'Sekretas' itself means surprise, unexpected moment. That cat was a surprise to me, I think it dovetailed".
    (The word 'sekretai' is derived from the Russian word which really means a secret. Many representatives of Vėtrė's generation know what is 'making secrets'. Usually a piece of glass and various 'wealths' (flowers, candy papers, glossy trifles, etc.) are dug in the ground, not deep, waiting, but only by the owner's permission, to be dug up and seen. The scenario of such game is clear, but every time the discovery is unexpected, thrilling - our comment).
    It was interesting to learn more about author's creation process. How does she work, does she often come to crises? She says no: "I have many ideas, but have no time enough. Not physical, but emotional time, time for my soul. Camera is always by my side. I always catch moments, but it's not the real creation. I prefer working in studio, when something is happening inside me. I don't feel anything like that when I take photos off-hand, spontaneously".
    Photographing at studio is the experience of states. In her words, "state is what really happens". Vėtrė usually creates at night, when it is absolutely quiet, when she is left alone with her feelings and ideas. What is more important to her: the working process or the value of her works? "You can profiteer with the value. You can please the critics. You can do the work 'correctly'. But in my opinion, the most important thing is the process of creation".
    Vėtrė's photoworks are colourful. Nevertheless it was interesting to learn which - colorful or not colourful - photography she prefers. "There weren't colourful photos when I started to photograph. My first works were black and white. Later I tried to photograph soap-bubbles and things like that (and this stuff continues dominating in my work)), but something was lacking. I needed colours".
    Really, some things are beautiful with all the colours, and others open out only in black and white. "There is either painterly or graphic position. In the portraits, landscapes the colour is nothing. But you can find lots of photos in which colour is the main thing".
    A lot of Vėtrė's works are the play of colors. But she doesn't want to mix them. "Colour-scheme is only a colour-scheme. A landscape where grass is green and sky is blue does not interest me. Various colouring is not for photography. If only for reporting, fixing one".`
    Vėtrė is a colourful man of ready sympathy, who mixes real life and dreams, visions, whispers of ancy in her works. It was a valuable acquaintance.

    Austėja Tavoraitė and Lina Sidaraitė
    Lithuanian Youth Technical Creativity Palace
    Photostudio

Photos printed in edition