I was born in Valmiera and studied in Valmiera and Riga. Now I live in the old family house in Koknese. I love the aura of antiquity of the house and the town.

My mother was an agronomist and my father a civil engineer. Besides, he was a wood carver (with a distinction of the best woodcarver in the district), a drawer, a violin player, and a qualified sportsman in track and field, cross-country skiing and orienteering. My grandmother played the piano, and her teacher at school was Jūlijs Madernieks. My grandfather was an expert builder who single-handedly built many houses, from the foundation to the chimney.

I have enjoyed drawing since I was a kid. We lived in Valmiera, a town with a vibrant art environment. My father noticed that I was interested in drawing and took me to a local artist to guide me in my plein air studies. Later, he advised me to visit the art studio in the community centre where young artists took classes from the marine painter Aleksandrs Zviedris.

After high school I had a tough choice to make, sports or art. Aleksandrs Zviedris, who was both a painter and a yachtsman, advised me:”You can well go in for sports at a young age, while art can be done for the rest of your life…” At first I entered the Physical Culture College, studied there and did sports professionally. At the same time, I was growing keen on going into arts. To start with, I took a prep course at the Academy of Arts, then studied at the VEF art studio and finally entered the Academy of Arts. The reason? Perhaps, the creative environment of my father’s house was calling on my inner voice.