I was born in a small town of Bauska in Latvia, later my family moved to Baldoni village. Now I’m happy to be living in the picturesque Sigulda, situated in a beautiful ancient river valley often called the Switzerland of Vidzeme. My mom is a primary school teacher. My dad was a forester and a beekeeper. There have been no professional artists in the family but surely we have all kind of creative family members around. My grandma used to knit awesome socks, my aunts did fantastic needlework, my mom and her family were known for making gorgeous flower beds with all sorts of dahlias, lilies and gladioli.

As a child, I don’t recall to be doing much of drawing. I lived in a village and was more interested in staying outdoors — at the street or in the countryside. After attending an amateur art circle at the Baldones primary school, I went to the Children’s Art School and used to spend all my free time there. I remember that my teacher praised me and advised to continue my art studies. I liked the idea, mainly because it meant that I had to go to Riga. So I entered Janis Rozentals Art High School where the atmosphere was so inspiring that I immediately got the feeling that I was an accomplished artist. Then I graduated from the Latvian Academy of Arts with a Bachelor’s degree in restoration and a Master’s degree in painting.