Feliksas Kerpauskas (b. 1933 – d. 2021.07.16) studied Lithuanian and Literature at Vilnius State Pedagogical Institute. After he graduated studies, he had been transfered to work in Skuodas Middle School, where he was teaching Lithuanian. After one year he began to work as a proofreader and a secretary of the newspaper in the editorial office of Skuodas district newspaper “Victory“ („Pergalė“), after that – as a deputy editor. Since illustrations were needed for the written articles, he was also taking pictures – as he had been training his shooting skills even from study time, since 1954, when one relative presented a camera “Liubitel“ to the photographer.
A new stage of the life to F. Kerpauskas started then,when he arrived to Kaunas and in 17th High School began to work as a Music teacher. At the time, the artist was intensely taking pictures of the school life. Later he came to Kaunas Photo Club, which was working in contemporary Union Palace. The participation in activity of the Photo Club has brought Feliksas to the art photography. The artist was often shooting Kaunas, its people, expressions of the cultural life. During meeting time of the Club, as F. Kerpauskas was telling, was often analyzing photographs, organizing photography exhibitions. The artist has been welcomed to Lithuanian Union of Art Photographers in 1987. Since that time creative activity of the artist has developed, he began to participate in sectional and thematic exhibitions, to organize author photography exhibitions in Kaunas and other cities of Lithuania.
Recent years the artist has been concentrated on his main photography themes: stones, tree wounds, abstractions, landscapes. The photographs of F. Kerpauskas reveal philosophical author‘s attitude to nature, shooting object. “Before I have started shooting stones, I was interested in what were they talking about. I paid attention to that stones interestingly overgrow lichens, moss, and it seems that they like burst into bloom. My first created series has been called “Bloomy stones“. Stone has its colors, face, texture, therefore, it induces many allusions with human“, – F. Kerpauskas is telling about taking pictures of the stones. Other – in tree theme – created series “Tree wounds“ the author describes: “For me it‘s interesting how trees are able to recover their wounds. If the truncated tree‘s branch isn‘t very big, the tree recover this wound by covering it with new peel in a certain time. The tree is alive, that‘s why I feel sorry when I see how trees are trimmed off every spring time in Laisvė avenue. The tree knows environment, feels us, only we don‘t understand their language. Earlier ancient Lithuanians idolized the tree. Oak was a saint tree. The tree not only grows fruit but it also cures people with its blossom“.
The photographs are printed on the canvas. This technology gives picturesqueness for the pieces, graphic impression, transfers photographic image to other art kind dimension. Exhibitions of the author have already been organized in Day Surgery Center of the 2nd Kaunas Clinical Hospital, Kaunas municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library, Kaunas city Museum section M. and K. Petrauskas Lithuanian Music Museum.
