For several years in a row, a family living in the village of Politiškės, Tauragnai municipality, has been creating winter art in the snow. Snow becomes their canvas and their feet their paintbrushes.

Drawing in the snow becomes a family tradition

„Every winter we look forward to the snow and turn it into a canvas. The idea to create a drawing on snow first came to us before February 16th, when the millennium of Lithuania was commemorated," said Ingrida Mikalauskienė, the author of this unconventional idea.

On the occasion of Lithuania's millennium, a woman and her husband Aurimas painted the Lithuanian tricolour in the snow. In the following winters, she took on more serious work. Only when the snow and the weather are just right does the couple set out to create spectacular sights with their feet. This year's work – an ornament about 10 metres in diameter with national motifs.

„I am more of an organiser. My husband is more into art. He seems to have inherited his artistic streak from his family, his grandfather was a folk carver. My husband makes ornaments in the snow, and I come up with the idea, I promote it. This is how we complement each other and create these masterpieces“, – said the woman and assured that in order to create a successful work, it is very important that there is not only snow, but also the sun, because without the light of the sun in the snow, you can't see the drawing.

Creating beauty for all

The circle of the drawing is kneaded using a rope. One person holds it while standing in the middle and the other goes around to make sure the diameter of the circle is exact. The woman interviewed said that the ornaments do not require special calculations or sketches – they come out automatically. This year's piece by the couple in the snow took an hour to create, with each of them taking 1 800 steps.

How long the drawing will last on the canvas will depend on the natural conditions. It can be melted by the warmth of the sun. But the Mikalauskas do not try to protect this beauty in any special way to make it last longer. They are happy that people come to admire them, although they admit that the ornaments in the snow are most beautifully reflected in the drone photos.

„We had a lot of spectators this year. People were admiring and taking pictures, which is very nice, because we are not creating this beauty for ourselves, but to make it beautiful for everyone," said I. Mikalauskiene.

I.Mikalauskiene personal archive photo