Kornelija Žalpytė
Kornelija makes things. She illustrates, sculpts, teaches, acts and dresses to match whichever world she's currently building. She lives in a village in Lithuania now, close to the fields and the small creatures that find their way into her work. Nature is her playground, bugs are her guides, and linen is the fabric that makes the most sense.
I make things
How would you introduce yourself?
My name is Kornelija, and I make things. I'm an illustrator and teacher, but I also sculpt, make objects, paint, act — so it really doesn't end with me just drawing on paper. I live in a village now, in my home country, Lithuania. I'm lucky to say that, because I grew up in the busiest place, the capital city, Vilnius. Growing up there made me realise how much more alive I feel when I'm in nature, and how much it opens up every part of me when I'm close to it.
What kind of feeling do you try to convey through your work?
Wonder, I think. A little bit of slowness. A reason to look more closely at something small.
What do you look for when buying clothes?
Color, texture, and whether it matches the palette I'm in. That's always the first question. Then whether it feels like something that will last, something that will change with me rather than just wear out.
Materials that carry history
Linen is a plant-born fabric. It comes from the ground, takes time, softens with use. Do you feel a kinship with materials that carry their own history?
Yes, completely. There's something about materials that have a life of their own. That came from somewhere, that age and change with you. It mirrors how I think about making things. I'm not interested in anything that stays the same or that feels finished too quickly. Nature is the same, as it's never static. That quality of constant, quiet transformation is what I look for in the things I surround myself with, including what I wear.
Do you look for sustainable brands? Is it important to you?
It is, though I think about it more in terms of quality and longevity than labels. If something is made well, from honest materials, it tends to be sustainable almost by default. It doesn't need to be replaced.
The playground outside
What does nature give you that a city or a screen cannot?
Everything, honestly. It plugs all your senses at once — you hear it, smell it, sometimes even taste it. I call nature my playground. I spend a lot of time just observing it, and each time I find something new. It's ever-changing and full of surprises. It's also always showing you the best color combinations — a palette always right there under your nose the moment you step outside. I take myself out to think and build ideas. It works far better for me than anywhere else.
Is there a season or a landscape that feels most like home to your work?
The one I'm in, always. Right now, the village. The fields, the small creatures everywhere. I notice things differently depending on the time of year: the colors shift, what's growing, what's hiding. Each season opens a different set of eyes.
The little guides
What are you working on right now?
I'm building more personal work, authored books about bugs! The little ones that are everywhere around me when I'm outside. I think of bugs as silent guides of nature. They make you spot secret things, and they're quite beautiful themselves, in their own way. In my work I speak through them, and in that way I let them speak about adventures and the beautiful secrets of nature. I pass on that magic. That's the idea.
And oh, how much more is there to know of.
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