I was born in 1990 in Šilutė, into an artistic family – my father is a painter and ceramicist, and my mother paints folk art works featuring the Tree of Life motif. These roots shaped my love for ancient history and painting.
I graduated in Visual Arts from Klaipėda University, specializing in painting. I have participated in group exhibitions, performances, and art exchange projects both in Lithuania and abroad. After my studies, I founded the ceramic brand Monai Studio, where I created contemporary ceramics inspired by folklore and presented them at international exhibitions and art fairs.
Although I have created extensively in the field of ceramics, painting has always remained an inseparable part of my life. For the past several years, I have been working in my painting studio, where I explore philosophical concepts, experiment with techniques, and seek new forms to embody ideas. In creating abstract, meditative paintings, I search for a sense of connection with my surroundings and with others. I explore intense sensations, questioning whether they are universal and whether I can find a common ground to create a shared experience. I am drawn to phenomenology, dualism, and symbolic thinking – ways in which we shape our personal reality under the influence of both environment and the constructs of the mind. Painting, to me, is more than applying paint to a surface. It is experimentation, deep listening, observation, and wonder. The process becomes intertwined with life itself – I paint while I read, watch, converse, remember, and feel. It is a living, growing, and ever-changing act, born from thought, experience, and the desire to share what I have lived through.
I create my meditative abstract paintings by combining various techniques – pouring and splashing acrylic inks, applying thick acrylic paint with brushes, sponges, palette knives, or rollers, and engraving fine lines with a pigmented pencil. I aim for vibrancy, depth of texture, and contrast between fine details and large painted areas. I seek balance between spontaneity and controlled gestures, carefully choosing colors to express emotion. I paint slowly, in layers, allowing space to gradually deepen and take shape. I discover the rhythm and harmony of the work. I choose unprimed canvas or natural linen to enhance the texture, letting the painting breathe without covering it with a thick layer of varnish. The matte, textured surface adds a new aesthetic dimension – a sense of fullness.
About this artwork+
This painting presents an abstract landscape with bold swirls and sweeping lines. You see vibrant colors like green, blue, yellow, and purple. These colors are blended and overlay each other, creating a dynamic and somewhat tumultuous scene. A thin white line curves through the center, adding a sense of movement. Morta Kaniavienė’s style here is abstract, using colors and forms to suggest rather than depict a real landscape. Her use of sharp contrasts and textured brushstrokes captures a feeling of wind or energy moving through space. This style gives the painting a lively and expressive feel.
