Adding Color to the Simple Life

Dave Faries and Diana Skarnaite Faries reside in Carrollton, Texas. Dave is a freelancer and television producer. Diana is a native of Alytus, Lithuania. Currently, she is a legislative intern at the House Majority Whip's Office of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Diana will graduate from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies in December, 1998.

The cows are milked, the pigs are fed, and the farm is taken care of. As the sun goes down and paints the sky a deep and drowsy red, her tired hand reaches for a pencil. She draws the struggle of her daily life. Dark shades of blues and browns tell it all: a mother, an aunt, and she, trying to survive on one small pension of 40 dollars a month.

Milda portrays a young girl with her kankles (Lithuanian zither) in the coloring book.

Meet Milda Stalnionyte, an artist – self-taught and unknown. Her work is unpolished, straightforward, and elegant, exposing the difficulties and beauty of her world. She lives in Traidziunai, a village really, where patterns of life have changed little over the years. We have never met Milda, yet feel we have known her all our life. By accident or luck, we met Marian Abrazinskas, residing in Millville, Pennsylvania. During her trip to Lithuania, Marian met Milda and learned about her unrecognized talents.

Milda's drawings at the time were dark and gloomy. Vividly expressing her life and state of mid, those pictures forwarded the story of her family's daily struggle in a crumbling Lithuanian economy. Hoping to uplift Milda's hopes and mood, Marian suggested that she draw something for children, something purely Lithuanian. The result is a beautiful coloring book called A Visit to Lithuania, compiled and published by Marian Abrazinskas. We had the great honor to be a part of this publication translating Milda's information and writing the preface.

A Visit to Lithuania contains hand-drawn pictures designed to introduce the readers to Lithuania at the beginning of the 20th century. The artist presents some of the vital features of village life in Aukstaitija, the eastern region of Lithuania, including clothing and housing styles, as well as some of the main work tools and activities. Milda Stalnionyte's Aukstaitija is truly breathtaking with its beautiful lakes, hills, and forest, She has lived there all her life, traveling to the rural towns of Zarasai, Ignalina, Utena and Moletai. Her Lithuania is a patchwork of farms and villages.

For ages, Lithuanians have been very close to nature. Picking berries, mushrooms, and nuts remain a favorite pastime. Fishing – both during winter and summer – is still an important activity. Lithuanians love their land so much that almost every song mentions trees, flowers, grains and forests. Milda's coloring book reflects these ties to the land at the beginning of this century. The simple beauty of village life, the daily rhythms of work and play, and the everyday details of village life, sometimes overlooked, become central subjects of her drawings.

A young shepherd boy from times long past comes alive in Milda’s drawings.

In Milda's drawings, for example, you can see beehives made from aged tree trunks or wreathed with straw. In the early 20th century, shepherd's songs echoed through the hills of Aukstaitija, as they herded cows, sheep, swine or geese. In winter, families would gather together for an evening of songs and storytelling, while making ropes, carvings, knitting or spinning. We heard those echoes through the artists' sincere and unadorned voice. Milda's transformation from moody, realistic work to nostalgic children's sketches may no be permanent, but it does reveal the range of her talent and understanding of Lithuanian life. By the way, we have yet to feel the urge to actually color her pages. They are nice simply in black and white.

Lithuanian culture is rich with its customs and traditions. Folklorists may write volumes about it, but let Milda Stalnionyte forward her small contribution; let the pictures tell some of the story and take you through a day of country life in Lithuania of the early 20th century.

You can order Milda's coloring book, A Visit to Lithuania by writing to Stoops Manufacturing Co., 10 N. Elliot, Aurora MO 65605 or calling 1-800-235-3536. Individual books are $6.95 plus shipping and handling of $2.50. Case lots of 35 coloring books are also available for $140.00 plus shipping and handling $3.50. All profits are for Milda and her family.