I was born in 1978 in a small town Sankonys in the southern ethnographic region of Lithuania, Dzukija. I grew up in a loving family of six, along with my three lovely sisters. While at the local Viktarina secondary school, I was commuting to an art school in Druskininkai, which I continued attending after I was transferred to Atgimimo High School in Druskininkai. I stayed at my uncle's while pursuing the studies and his family became my home away from home. My uncle Vytautas Debrukas, a famous fork artist, tought me a great deal about wood carving. He was the one who pushed me to devote myself to art. I packed up my paint and my brushes and left for Siauliai, a town on the other side of Lithuania. I fell in love with the town that rewarded me with abundant new opportunities from the day I set my foot in it. In 1996, I enrolled in Arts and Crafts Education program at Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute. That's where I met a lot of dear friends that I still keep contact with. Studies and fun went hand in hand.
While still at Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute, I joined their folk dance group "Saule." Many rehearsals and concerts followed, both in Lithuania and abroad. We visited Poland, Germany, Belgium, England, Scotland, Latvia, etc. The trips opened the door to the big wide world, colorful and diverse. It was around the same time that I started experimenting with fashion design. Multiple other designers joined my collection and we successfully organized a few fashions shows. These five years at the institute were the best years of my life. But then there comes the time when you start craving for new experiences and new challenges. That's what brought me to the U.S.
Upon my arrival in 2001, I settled down in Branford, a small town on the coast of the Atlantic. I lived in a wonderful American family. Jack and Gini were like my real parents, supporting and loving and their kids were like my real siblings to me. I picked up English studies at Gateway Community Center, then continued at Yale University. In was not until 2003 when I joined Paier College or Art that I embarked on the studies of art again. In 2004, I enrolled in Western Connecticut University to study illustration and received an M.A. in Arts. I published my very first illustrated children's book "Zoolidays" while studying for my master's degree. Book signings were held at various libraries, book stores and schools.
In 2006, me and my friend Gintaras Jocius started a visual arts performance group "GIRO Show" and already that same year performed in Chicago. The show also attracted a lot of fans in other states and it continues to inspire us with new ideas.
At the moment, I work as an art professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, New Haven University, and teach at Tabor Art School and Guilford Art Center. I also do private tutoring for children, teaching them illustration, painting, graphics and sculpture. During spare time, I create frescoes for offices, restaurants, cafes, and private homes. The rest of my time I devote to painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. Since my passion for dance hasn't faded over the years, I still spend part of my time with Alex Scott Ballroom Troup.
It is my dream to carry on with the career of an art teacher and art instructor, to keep staging "GIRO Show" performances, to work as a prop artist for children's plays and spend as much time as possible on writing and illustrating children's books.
I feel blessed to be able to pursue my dreams in the field of arts and to have that many wonderful friends in all four corners of the world.