Artwork in the room
Birutė Bernotienė McCarthy, an artist from Lithuania, completed her studies in fashion costume at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Her professional journey took a significant turn in 1983 when she became a member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association. The acquisition of her pieces by the Lithuanian Arts Foundation signifies the recognition she has received from notable cultural organizations.
She has presented solo exhibitions in numerous cities, including Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Riga, and Kaliningrad, as well as abroad in Sweden and the United States. Her tapestries are featured in public venues such as the Klaipėda National Library and are also found in hotels and private homes, reflecting her influence on both cultural institutions and everyday life.
At one stage in her career, Birutė Bernotienė McCarthy developed fashion collections crafted from silk and linen, with each piece being individually hand-painted. Later, her background in fashion design led her toward a new creative interest: making dolls, inspired by her experience as a mother of two daughters. Utilizing her skills in form, line, color, and style, she took part in national art doll exhibitions, viewing the process of doll-making as both an artistic pursuit and a personal source of happiness.
After concluding her tenure as a professor, she devoted herself entirely to painting, choosing to create only uplifting works that are meant to convey a sense of warmth and uniqueness to home environments. Through each phase of her artistic evolution, Birutė Bernotienė McCarthy continues to enhance the cultural landscape of both Lithuania and the international art world.
About this artwork+
The painting captures a vibrant seaside scene where the nuances of light and color come alive with the play of sun on water. In the foreground, the crystal-clear turquoise waters reveal a bed of rounded stones tinged with warm orange and subtle shades of violet and blue. These stones nestle under the water's surface, creating a textured mosaic that adds depth and interest. The transparency of the water is rendered with a gentle interplay of light blues and whites, suggesting the sunlit clarity of a shallow sea. Closer to the middle, the water darkens into deeper blues, indicating greater depth. A wave, energetic and frothy, rises mid-scene, cresting before it breaks. This wave, highlighted by whites and light blues against the richer ocean hues, adds a dynamic element to the otherwise tranquil waters. In the distance, there is a coastline or perhaps an island, rendered in muted earth tones and framed against a broad expanse of sky. The sky is a soft canvas, showing a gradient of blues that suggest both openness and the calm of a clear day. The painting conveys a sense of peace and natural beauty, inviting the viewer to feel the warmth of the sun and the refreshing embrace of the sea.
