The origins of a lifelong visual calling
From her earliest memories, Angelė Šimoliūnienė’s relationship with painting is instinctive and enduring, rooted in childhood fascination and sustained by an inner need to create. Born in Lithuania, she discovered early on that visual expression was not just a pastime but a natural language that she could use to process the world. Even during periods when painting gradually faded into the background of everyday life, this impulse never disappeared. Instead, it remains dormant, quietly shaping her perceptions and sensibilities. This fundamental connection to art established a framework that later expanded into a multidimensional practice grounded in education, philosophy, and life experience, allowing her to view painting as a vocation to begin anew rather than as an acquired skill.
Her career path initially started in the field of education as a teacher of Lithuanian language and literature. This engagement with narrative, symbolism, and textual meaning deeply influenced her way of thinking and resonates throughout her later visual work. While teaching, she decisively chose to enter the Conservatory of Music to study directing. This experience deepened her understanding of structure, rhythm and dramatic tension. These elements ultimately find their parallels in her paintings, where composition and movement guide the viewer’s attention just as carefully constructed scenes guide the viewer to emotion and meaning.
Over the years, Simolyunny’s intellectual curiosity has expanded, leading her to continue studying psychology based on Western and Eastern philosophy, as well as medicine, genetics, art therapy, neuroeducation, and art history. These subjects did not exist alone in her mind; They form an interconnected system through which she explores human consciousness, emotion and spiritual awareness. When she fully returned to painting after a major hiatus eleven years ago, she did so with a deep understanding that transformed her artistic practice into a synthesis of knowledge and intuition. Her canvases become spaces where education, experience, and inner perception converge into a single visual language.
Angelė Šimoliūnienė: Painting as a conduit of energy and ideas
At the heart of Angelė Šimoliūnienė’s creative philosophy is the belief that painting is an act guided by energy rather than a carefully thought-out plan. She doesn’t have a fixed image in her head; instead, she waits for physical and emotional signals that tell her the time to begin has arrived. The feeling of her body, especially in her hands, initiates the process, suggesting that the work must appear immediately and without resistance. In these moments, conscious control wanes and subconscious impulses can guide movement, color, and form. The resulting image is not constructed but received, carrying information that remains embedded in the finished painting.
Her work reflects the belief that the visible world is only one layer of existence. Through painting, she conveys her understanding of humanity as surrounded by unseen forces that constantly interact with thought and action. According to her worldview, positive intentions create a protective field of energy, while negative thoughts attract destructive influences. This ethical and spiritual dimension is inseparable from her visual output. Each painting is both image and statement, revealing how inner states shape outer experience. Viewers are encouraged to stand a few meters away from her works, allowing the full energy structure of the composition to unfold and influence perception on an intuitive level rather than through careful analytical examination.
For over eleven years, Šimoliūnienė worked primarily with acrylic on paper, creating approximately six hundred paintings, each of which was formed through this intuitive process. She often painted almost without looking, trusting the movements of her hands more than conscious observation. Afterward, she reflected on the situation that arose, viewing the image as a message to be interpreted rather than a product to be judged. In this sense, her paintings are like living beings that arrive through her and are then released into the world, like children transcending their own origins. This approach positions her art as communication rather than representation, where meaning resides simultaneously within the artist, the artwork, and the viewer.
Spiritual duality and the human condition on canvas
Angelė Šimoliūnienė’s paintings always return to the theme of duality, specifically the coexistence of good and evil forces that shape human life. She does not present these ideas in a literal or narrative manner, but allows them to emerge through color relationships, directional movement, and symbolic themes. Bright, broad areas often interact with denser, more restrained areas, creating visual tensions that reflect moral and emotional conflicts. These contrasts do not lead to simple conclusions; rather, they reflect the ongoing balance that individuals must maintain through their thoughts and actions. Her work proposes that awareness itself is a protective force, encouraging viewers to examine their own inner orientations to the world.
Her interests in psychology and philosophy informed this exploration without overpowering it. Years of studying Third Millennium Psychology, combined with her studies of Eastern thought, medicine, and neuroeducation, have given her a nuanced understanding of how consciousness works. This understanding translates into paintings that simultaneously address emotional states and spiritual issues. The symbols appear layered and open, allowing for multiple interpretations based on the viewer’s own experience. Rather than prescribing meaning, Šimoliūnienė creates conditions for reflection, inviting viewers to engage in an active dialogue with the images and themselves.
A particularly important manifestation of this approach is the painting entitled “Human Life”. The creation of this work was not intentional in advance, but it became a portrait covering the entire life of her late husband, starting from childhood. This realization was only realized after the painting was completed, highlighting the depth of subconscious guidance in her process. The work received extraordinary recognition, being selected for inclusion in the World Art Atlas and winning numerous awards internationally. For Simolyunny, its significance goes beyond the honor, as it becomes a tribute to a man whose contributions as a scientist and medical doctor were under-recognized during his lifetime. Through this painting, personal loss, memory, and universal human experience converge into a single, powerful visual statement.
Angelė Šimoliūnienė: Recognition, Impact and Sustained Purpose
Angelė Šimoliūnienė’s artistic influence is reflected in her rich exhibition history and international recognition. She has held sixty-five solo exhibitions throughout Lithuania and participated in sixty-seven galleries and fairs abroad, establishing an ongoing dialogue with diverse audiences. Her paintings have appeared in forty-one art catalogs, books and magazines, confirming their relevance in contemporary art discourse. Participation in global and international competitions further highlighted her work, winning awards in 23 competitions. These achievements demonstrate not only productivity but also the consistency of artistic vision and reception over time.
Her contributions extend beyond the visual arts to education and cultural life. For her work as a director, she received a medal from the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture in recognition of her influence in the field. In addition, she was awarded the Order of the Princess of St. Olga for her educational activities and efforts to help people. These recognitions underscore the interconnectedness of her career, with teaching, directing and painting being expressions of common goals. She often reflects that she did not foresee a life of continuous learning and knowledge sharing, but this path became central to her identity and mission. In this case, drawing serves as another form of education, providing insight rather than instruction.
Today, Simo Liunier sees her paintings as active participants in the spiritual and intellectual growth of those who come into contact with them. Their purpose is to awaken intuition, encourage analysis and heighten consciousness, guiding viewers to a deeper understanding of themselves and the unseen dimensions of existence. Influenced by her inner world and subconscious impulses, as well as her spiritual affinity with Lithuanian artist MK Čiurlionis, she continues to create in a unique and personal style. Her creative journey remains open-ended, sustained by the energy that first guided her as a child and continues to flow into each new body of work.
