Monika Mitkute’s Intricately Illustrated Treasure Hunting Pleasures
By Elizah Leigh
One might expect a few key elements to be present in a basic introductory paragraph setting the stage for Quirky Fox’s exclusive interview with hyper-detailed whimsy-maker Monika Mitkute. We could easily embark upon this literary effort with expected insight into her Lithuanian heritage, perhaps a respectful hat tip to the garden-enthusiast grandparents who raised her, and of course an exuberant exploration of the quaint fairytale-fuelled delights that spring forth from her very fertile, deliriously eccentric microcosms.
We’re not exactly gravitating in that direction, though. That’s because there is a pressing matter that we feel compelled to address - one that will ensure that the Ireland-based artist’s imaginatively offbeat ink illustrations are fully appreciated by fans old and new.
Prior to reading Monika Mitkute’s interview, please do one simple thing to ensure that every fraction of the sparkling personality and narrative depth lovingly suffused into each of her intricately constructed work of arts is truly SEEN. Give yourself a proper block of time to slowly gaze at her creative fancies with the aid of a magnifying glass.
As anti-climactic as our request may seem, you won’t regret taking that extra step. We’re genuinely chuffed for those who happen to be blessed with 20/20 vision, yet making the most of the zoom-in feature on your desktop computer will kick your powers of observation into high gear, uncloaking the magically revelatory subtleties that make this artist’s work so delightfully special to behold.
You just may find that unearthing the glittering nanoscopic charms within Monika Mitkute’s labyrinthine imaginings - with the aid of extra super zoom-a-dee-zooming power, of course – will reward you with a feeling that rivals the exquisite ephemerality of a butterfly perching on the bridge of your nose for a mere five utterly blissful seconds.
Extraordinarily unexpected.
Astonishingly magical.
Stratospherically soul-elevating.
Interview with Monika Mitkute
We’re launching this interview with an imagined scenario. We just asked a random stranger who doesn’t follow the art world to assess the characteristics of your work using just two words. Oh, wow… that was quick. They just told us that your mark-making is essentially about “pure escapism”. How accurate is their perspective?
I constantly feed my eyes and mind with various forms of fantasy. I’m a big kid at heart, so I imagine that the people who enjoy my art feel similarly, too. I’d be lost without Peter Jackson films, comic books, and my favourite Zelda games (which I could play until my hands fall off). All of those forms of visual fantasy help me to cope with the stress of everyday life, and on a subconscious level, they certainly bleed into my own artistic universe.
When a viable artistic concept begins percolating inside your mind, what does it feel like?
Capturing on paper exactly what is in my mind is sort of like chasing a cloud. Occasionally, it just falls flat, but other times, the freedom to invent on the page is exciting. I like to feel the idea and let my mood dictate the image. It’s hard to stop because I can easily get lost in the worlds that I create.
To what degree are your visual narratives - which invite the beholder to get lost in immersive worlds - also influenced by your love of childhood fairytales?
My artistic vision is very much influenced by the books and illustrations that I loved in my youth - big, busy fantasies that I could easily get lost in. I definitely aim for that aesthetic in my own illustrations.
Your work seems to have a bit of a gothic undertone. Have specific dark stories led you down the artistic path that you are currently navigating?
I probably remember dark folklore (like what the Brothers Grimm published) most of all, since those tales tend to be a little more fun and engaging; my son is fascinated with the unusual and scary, so maybe that buzz of fear and adrenaline never leaves us.
I have strong memories of "Baron Munchausen" by August Gottfried Burger and Jonas Biliūnas’ short story “Kliudžiau” - otherwise known as “I Got In The Way”- about a boy who shot a cat (which was totally shocking to me as a child).
Reflecting on the various storybook illustrations that inspired your childhood imagination, is there one artist whose work still enraptures you to this day?
The Lithuanian artist Kęstutis Kasparavičius has been a huge influence on my own art - it’s pretty cool that we even follow each other on Instagram. I sincerely hope that one day I’ll be able to create art that mirrors the calibre of work that my idols create.
You embed myriad tiny treasures into your remarkably dense illustrations that only those who are most observant will discover. When you dream up your art concepts, do you set out to design a treasure hunt?
Always. Just like I pored over the artwork in my favourite books when I was younger, I am motivated to emulate and pass that joy and excitement onto others. I believe that it’s my job to provide the beholder with the joy of discovery. I create living pieces of art that reward those who spend as much time as possible hunting and searching for details.
Also, getting lost in the mark-making process - which helps me tune out the real world - is absolutely addictive. I often find the drawing process so absorbing that it’s hard to step back into the real word. Perhaps one day I won’t return ;-)
Do you incorporate any ‘Easter egg’ elements for especially die-hard fans to discover?
I like having a few of my characters make the odd guest appearance. Who knows…maybe they all live in the same universe?!
I’ve also included some of my favourite Nintendo details, and I might borrow a character from a film. The kind feedback that fans offer regarding their discoveries of those secret little treasures is a wonderful source of my artistic joy and continued motivation.
You’ve referred to the delightfully congested appearance of your “busy group scenes” as an antidote to solitude and isolation. Are those unique-to-you illustrative hallmarks also indicative of your personal appreciation for human nature and people-watching?
When I initially moved to Ireland, I saved enough money from my various jobs to purchase a good camera. Whenever I had free time, I would attend whatever public event was happening at the time so I could take tons of photos. Then, I’d study the many people in those images, ultimately drawing whichever ones really captured my interest. It’s amazing how observing one simple act or gesture can spawn an intriguing art concept or scene. Since my illustrative characters have human behavior-inspired characteristics, that’s probably what makes them more relatable.
It sounds like you’re as ardent a photographer as you are an illustrator.
If I wasn’t pursuing my current illustration path, I would have probably become a professional photographer.
During your quest for artistic inspiration, do you repeatedly find that human beings provide you with your quirkiest source material?
Studying them is an endless source of inspiration! I just go where people are and watch the magic unfold.
Has creating illustrations embedded with a dizzying degree of details compromised your vision?
Yes.
About 8 years ago, I began wearing special lenses. Rather than providing magnification, they enable me to focus on items that are close up, which actually prevents my eyes from getting tired.
Children often fear the imagined monsters that are lurking underneath their bed or in their closet. Rather than populating your illustrative worlds with creepy threatening beings, however, it seems like you prefer rendering soft and sweet monsters. Is that intentional?
My art is basically reflective of life’s ups and downs - it’s the product of my ever-changing feelings and moods. Since my characters emerge from my creative mind, their personalities include tiny aspects of who I am, what I’ve experienced and seen, as well as the interesting behaviors that I’ve witnessed others displaying.
In the past, you commented on how including eyes in your illustrations conveyed the notion of interpersonal connection and being able to gain true insight into another person’s soul. Does that still ring true today?
I still love drawing and painting eyes because they bring life and emotion to my characters. There are times that I will actually abandon a piece (and start from scratch) if the eyes are wrong. I find that even rendering hands is a wonderful way to communicate ideas and moods in my work.
Given the magical vibe that you manifest in your art, does your list of career goals include navigating a path as an illustrator of children’s literature?
As luck would have it, that’s exactly the project that I’m involved with right now!
I’m currently working on an Irish folklore-based book penned by an Irish writer. The book has taken up a lot of my time this year, and the process has been somewhat daunting, but it has forced me to collaborate and become much more organised than I previously was.
The completed book is slated for publication before the end of 2024. I am also setting my sights on illustrating my own book in the near future, as well.
Do you feel that the art world harms creatives by classifying their creative output as ‘fine art’ or ‘illustration’?
I’ve always believed there are only two kinds of art. Good and bad. Artists always aim for the good!
When it comes to identifying what specific genre your work fits into, does manifesting work that exists in a somewhat nebulous space appeal to you?
I have not yet managed to find a label that I think fits my art, so if anyone wants to share their thoughts, feel free to let me know!
I think it’s nice to freely move around and mix elements, though. No matter how dark certain aspects of my work may appear, they always emerge from a joyful place.
For quite some time now, you’ve brought your illustrative worlds to life using fine tipped pens, graphite pencils, charcoal, watercolors, and brush pens. Have you added any new materials to your repertoire in recent years?
If there was enough time or space available, I would work in all mediums. For now, colouring pencils, acrylics and ink have recently joined that list, and I might try water-based oils in the future. Also, I am looking forward to making sculptures this year.
It’s probably safe to assume that you’re ‘into’ printing and etching, since that was the focus of your bachelor’s degree, after all! Do you have any intention of incorporating printmaking into your current illustrative aesthetic?
Even though my art mainly involves drawing and painting, my mark-making definitely mimics what you might see in etching and printing. I initially moved away from printmaking due to the logistics of working at home with all of those chemicals, but seeing so many people embracing that medium reminds me just how much I miss it. Lino seems like the perfect solution for what I hope will be a fresh and exciting period in my art.
The global cost of living is quite high these days, and illustrative materials are costly. Have you found that more expensive art brands are worth the higher price tag, or do you use any surprisingly cheap tools?
I guess it depends on how you work and what your needs are. Since I’m always erasing and redrawing my pencil work, I’ve learned that it’s well worth spending more money on heavy, thick paper since it is much more forgiving (if I used thinner paper, I’d end up making a massive hole!). In some cases, what may seem pricey today can end up paying for itself, so I expect that the few well-made brushes that I use will stand the test of time.
Why do you wrap your right middle and right ring finger with gauze?
It’s not a fashion choice :-) The wrap prevents me from pushing the pen too firmly against my fingers, which – in the past – created calluses.
When you’re working on a much more complicated and time-consuming project, you’ve said that if/when doubt creeps into your subconscious as a random nagging thought, it inevitably grows into a beast. Despite your many years of professional experience, is that a recurring affliction?
Doubt is constant. Perhaps it helps keep me focused on always striving to create better work. I wish it was easier, but part of my creative process involves navigating the tension. Fortunately, the act of mark-making helps calm me and that in turn helps my work to naturally flow and evolve.
Like so many of your contemporaries, you sell originals and prints, but you also sell a jumbo pack of stickers that includes 32 different miniature versions of your art at an extremely budget-friendly price. Is that decision motivated by your desire to offer fans greater accessibility to your art?
While visiting Berlin in 2015, I was amazed to see the amount of sticker art on the streets. If you think about it, stickers really ARE mini works of art, so that got me excited to transform my own illustrations into stickers. Since then, that branch of my art business has kind of taken on a life of its own. I create the stickers for me since I’m customer number one, and hopefully others will join the club. It’s not exactly a business plan, but it’s a plan nonetheless :-)
Do you have a serendipitous attitude about what spills out on the page, or do you feel – at times – that trying to birth ever more inventive concepts causes you undue stress?
Seeing how good other artists are and admiring the magic that they continue to create actually inspires me to take my ideas to the next level. I find the evolution of my work and the journey that I take to achieve my creative goals very exciting.
Everyone loves gaining wisdom from those who have successfully forged a path before them. Now that you have nearly a decade of professional art experience under your belt, what critical piece of advice do you think creative newbies really need to hear?
For a decade (following my graduation from college), I wasn’t able to devote my full attention to art. My advice to those who are very keen on making art their life’s pursuit would be to go for it 100%, as soon as you possibly can.
What is the greatest complement that you have (or could possibly) receive?
Being an artist always seemed like a dream to me. The fact that people buy my original illustrations, prints and stickers still blows my mind. Being able to create art that people want to display in their homes is absolutely amazing.
Why do you believe that the simple act of sitting down in front of a blank piece of paper is so important?
It’s always a struggle to tamp down your creative fears and/or the various other demons in your mind. Years ago, someone asked Steven Spielberg, “What’s the hardest part about being a director?” He responded, “Getting out of the car”. I think that’s a perfect answer for everyone, whether they create art or do something else entirely.
