Lithuanian Culture Institute
Lithuanian Culture Institute
Illustrators

Rimvydas Kepežinskas

Lithuanian Culture Institute
Rimvydas Kepežinskas

When drawing for children one should not pretend, as children can smell bluff. They are uncorrupted.

Born: January 23, 1956, Kaunas, Lithuania.
1974 – 1980 Studies at the State Art Institute.
Professor at Vilnius Academy of Arts; He currently heads the Department of Graphic Arts.
CONTACTS
Vilnius, Lithuania
E-mail: keptas@yahoo.com
FIELDS OF ACTIVITY
Rimvydas Kepežinskas (Keptas) creates prints, posters, graphic design, but is best known as a calligrapher of a unique style and a prolific book illustrator. The artist has won the hearts of the little readers with illustrations featuring lovely elongated dachshunds. His illustrations are joyful and playful, radiating with kindness. He creates lovely and colourful ‘clothes’ for the stories by both foreign icons in children’s literature such as Astrid Lindgren or Gianni Rodari, and Lithuanian writers such as Vytė Nemunėlis or V. V. Landsbergis.

EXHIBITIONS
Rimvydas Kepežinskas has held 13 solo exhibitions and has been featured in numerous international exhibitions, including the following book illustrators events: Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition (1987, 1990–1993, 1997, 1998, 2000); Book Illustration Exhibition, Catalonia, Spain (1997); European Illustration Biennial, Japan (2001); Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovak Republic (2001); Illustration exhibition, Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany (2002); Gothenburg Book Fair, Sweden (2005).

“Illustrarium: Contemporary Lithuanian Children’s Book Illustration“, Bologna children’s book fair, Italy, 2011.
AWARDS
His artwork has been recognized with the premiums and prizes at the competition of the Most Beautiful Lithuanian Books, several prizes at mini print competitions, the medal at Tallinn Print Triennial, the UNICEF Prize at Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition (1992). He is a finalist of Catalonia Book Illustration Exhibition (1997); in 2001 he received a prize at the European Illustration Biennial in Japan. In 2006, for his achievements, Rimvydas Kepežinskas was honoured with the Lithuanian National Award for Culture and Arts.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Obuolių pasakos ir kriaušių (Tales of Apples and Pears): [short novel-tale], Vytautas V. Landsbergis, Vilnius: Dominicus Lituanus, 2008.

Karuselė (The Carousel): [fairy-tales], Gintarė Adomaitytė, Vilnius: Gimtasis žodis, 2007.

Istorijos blyksniai (The Flashes of History): [lyrics and epic], Vytautas V. Landsbergis, Vilnius: Versus aureus, 2006.

Šimtą metų aš gyvensiu (I Am Going to Live for One Hundred Years): [poems], Vytė Nemunėlis, Vilnius: Gimtasis žodis, 2006.

Margaspalvė uodega (A Colourful Tail): [tale in verse], Martynas Vainilaitis, Vilnius: Kronta, 2006.

Ėriukas po baobabu, arba Megztinis su uodega (A Lamb under a Baobab, or a Sweater with a Tail): [poems], Renata Šerelytė, Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishers, 2000.

Viens, du, trys… (One, Two, There…): [language tips for the family], Aldona Mazolevskienė, Marytė Šaltytė, Vilnius: Senoja, 1999.

Obuolių pasakos (Apple Tales): [short novel-tale], Vytautas V. Landsbergis, Vilnius; Vaga, 1999.

Kas vakarą po pasaką (A Fairy-tale Each Evening): [fairy-tales], compiled by Vitalija Gražienė, Kaunas: Šviesa, 1998.

Spalvos ir skaičiukai (Colours and Numbers): [poems], Ramutė Skučaitė, Vilnius: Kronta, 1997.

Smaragdo miesto burtininkas (The Wizard of Oz): [fairy-tale], Aleksandras Volkovas, Vilnius: Victoria, 1995.

Čipolino nuotykiai (The Adventures of the Little Onion), Gianni Rodari, Vilnius: Vyturys, 1993.