Meet Evelina Mayner of Baltic Art Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelina Mayner.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Evelina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I like to say that nothing “normal” happens in my life. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I am happy with the result now.

I arrived in the US in 2007 from Lithuania, after I got my Master of Fine Arts degree from Vilnius University in Vilnius city, Lithuania. I studied in Austria, and lived in Germany, Italy, Russia and Ukraine before coming to the US. Normally, immigrants to the US rise upward in their careers, starting from small unqualified jobs and eventually becoming President. For me it was different… I started up on a hill and then slid down to the bottom, and that was the story until now.

As soon as I arrived in Chicago, I got a job as a stained-glass restorer in one of the biggest Architectural arts companies in the United States. My father (who is my business partner now) was already in Chicago and had worked for that company for 10 years. My boss was very happy with me and I became a team leader in couple months. We worked on projects such as the Chicago cultural center Tiffany dome restoration, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, New York Plaza Hotel, and many other public and private stained glass restoration projects.

My personal life was successful too. I met a very charming man who become my husband. I was only 30 years old and I had moments thinking that my life was too good to be true. And it probably was, because soon everything started to fall apart very fast. First the economic crisis, and then my company decided to move to another state, I couldn’t move because I had to stay with my husband, who was already ill at that time. I had to quit and look for another job here in Chicago. It was very difficult to handle all the stress. And then, unfortunately, my husband passed away. I was unemployed and widowed at 33 in a foreign country with no regular income and no place to live.

It was a terrible moment in my life and I barely survived. But I had no choice so I took any job I could get, just to start over. I did baby-sitting, cleaning, real estate. I actually don’t want to remember all the humiliating situations I went through. I had all kinds of negative thoughts and moments and was ready to leave the US. But then little by little, supported by my parents, I started to come back to life. I got a couple of stained glass design commissions and was able to save some money and invest in a new business. My father and I started to work in his garage, then we were able to rent studio space and expand the business.

We have had the Baltic Art Studio for a year now, and everything is going well. All my clients are very very happy with us and we have a lot of returning customers and students. Of course, art is not in the biggest demand now but I strongly believe in esthetics. I am sure people will invest more in their surroundings and in themselves.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Because I am an immigrant, it was and is actually still is difficult to understand some cultural differences between the country of my birth, Lithuania, and my home country, the USA. I also sometimes have trouble expressing myself in English, despite having learned English proficiently during the last ten years of my life in the USA. It is also a challenge to find clients for my business because it is not an essential need for people. Despite these challenges, I find great pleasure in bringing the creative side out in the young children that I teach, seeing in them the spark of creativity that I first felt myself as a child — that inexplicable draw towards the arts. Because I am aware of my challenges and I continue to work on them daily, I do not see them as limitations, but, merely as challenges on my path in life. The work that my father and I do at Baltic Art Studio is not just a job, it is a passion, and the realization of a life-long dream for me.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Baltic Art Studio, we make custom designed stained and fused glass products: windows, doors, cabinets, panels, plates, vases, sculptures and lamps.

We repair and restore glass art and we also make original gifts and trophies with company logos.

We sell art, glass decor products and jewelry.

In our gallery we organize art shows, exhibitions, networking events and parties. In our classes and workshops, we teach fused glass and stained glass making for a wide range of ages — everyone from school-aged children to adults.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up in a Bohemian atmosphere was fun. My parents’ friends were very talented artists, architects and actors. From my earliest memories, I found myself surrounded by very creative people. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be an artist. My family always supported me and I had no problem choosing my profession. To this day, I do not regret for my choice. My art gives my life creative meaning, and a way to express my thoughts, feelings and emotions. I feel great satisfaction in sharing a window into the creative arts with my class attendees and clients. Art, I feel, is a way to express those things within us that we are unable to express with words. I would be privileged to be interviewed by you, so that together we may share with your readers the changes that the arts are capable of making in this world.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4346 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
• Website: balticartstudio.com
• Phone: 773 526 1127
• Email: balticartstudio@gmail.com
• Instagram: balticartstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BalticArtStudio/?ref=bookmarks
• Yelp: Baltic Art Studio Co.
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/balticartstudio/pins/

Image Credit:
Baltic Art Studio

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