Dana Sabina Stoškutė

I was born in Kaunas. I attended Eišiškės Secondary School and Eišiškės Music School. From 2005 to 2011, I studied at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, where I obtained a Master’s degree in Medicine and qualified as a medical doctor. From 2011 to 2014, I continued my studies at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in a Family Medicine residency program, earning the qualification of a Family Doctor. Currently, I work as a family doctor while also continuing my artistic explorations. Art has always been deeply rooted in my heart, and now it has found its place on colorful canvases. It all started with the big dream of a little girl. Since childhood, I dreamed of having two professions—being both a doctor and an artist. I wholeheartedly believed it was possible. As a child, I wanted to attend an art school, but since there was no art school in Eišiškės, where I lived with my parents, I attended a music school instead, specializing in piano. However, I always knew that music would never replace my desire to explore the world of colors—it only strengthened it. I couldn’t give up my dream of becoming a doctor, so I made a promise to myself: once I achieved one of my biggest dreams, I would pursue the other. When I started studying medicine, I had no time for painting, so I became interested in photography instead. I held my first personal photography exhibition at the Eišiškės Polish House and participated in photography competitions in Kaunas, where I won first places. Yet deep in my heart, I longed to paint, as photography couldn’t fully satisfy my artistic urge. I never studied painting; I paint instinctively. In 2012, I created just a few paintings before taking a long break. My true painting journey began in 2017. Over the years of self-discovery, inspired by space and nature, I developed my own unique technique and chose abstraction as my artistic language. I paint with acrylics, and although I do not use texture pastes, almost all of my works have a relief-like texture, changing color and appearance under different lighting conditions. During this long journey, I found myself in abstraction, as abstraction itself is a constant search—a search for colors, new perspectives, paths, meaning for oneself, and meaning for others. For a long time, I doubted whether I would ever share my work with the world, as my paintings always felt unfinished to me—like their secrets had yet to be revealed. But over time, I realized that this sense of "incompleteness" is an essential part of the creative process, as every viewer can complete the story in their own way. Creativity has given my life a new meaning. It is like air to me—without it, I would not truly know myself. Only through creating can I connect with my inner world, explore it, and understand it more deeply. This is what I depict in my work—the relationship with myself. My paintings emerge from my experiences. I never plan what I want to create in advance—I simply create, intuitively guided by emotion. When I take a blank canvas in my hands, I rarely envision the final result. The creative process is like a conversation, a dance with the subconscious, an attempt to express how I feel about life—without words. It is a search—a search for meaning, for answers… While creating, I feel excitement, a different kind of vibration, a surge of energy. Every time I see two colors blending on the canvas to form an unpredictable third color, I experience pure magic. The way the paint creates texture is mesmerizing—it lifts me beyond the boundaries of the universe. The beginning of each new painting feels like awaiting the birth of something new. I first presented my works to the world in 2021. Since then, I have held seven solo exhibitions in Lithuania. In August–September 2023, I participated in the Golden Time Talent “ART (Part 14) (49th Season), Abstract Painting” competition, where seven of my paintings from the series *“Emotions”* were exhibited. Four of them (*“Tenderness,” “Euphoria,” “Serenity,” “Hope”*) won second place, while the other three (*“Love,” “Passion,” “Power of the Mountains”*) won third place.