Ilze Vītoliņa

Is a graduate of the J. Rozentāls Riga Secondary School of Art and the Design Department of the Latvian Academy of Art, where her diploma project was a design for the production “Games with Fire” (Spēles ar uguni) by J. Jillinger. In 1996 she trained at the R. Williams Animation Master Class at Ebeltoft in Denmark, and in 2000 at the international animation producers” workshop at the Baltic Media Centre on Bornholm, Denmark. She has obtained a Master’s Degree in Fashion Design at the Latvian Academy of Art (2003). She is involved in computer animation at the Consum Studio. She has also worked as a drawing teacher at Mazsalaca Secondary School, has been production designer, animator, scriptwriter and creator of advertising for the animation film studio Dauka. She is style expert for the magazine UNA, costume designer for the Latvian Daile Theatre and since 2001 a lecturer at the Fashion Art Department of the Latvian Academy of Art. She has designed costumes for plays directed by J. Jillinger, O. Kroders, M. Gruzdov, K. Auškāps and V. Liepiņš, and for a production of A. Leimanis” ballet “Don Quixote” by A. Leimanis (2004). Vītoliņa has designed mask costumes for the 8th Latvian Youth Song and Dance Festival in 2000. She has been production designer for many productions at the Puppet Theatre and for animated films directed by R. Stiebra and M. Liniņš. In 2000 she participated in the International Puppet Exhibition. She has designed fashion collections since 1992.

Vītoliņa was nominated for the 2008 Jānis Baltvilks Prize for her original design for the book “What Mr. Cockerel Said” by I. Zandere (Ko teica Gaiļa kungs. R.: liels un mazs, 2007), a vivid picture book for children under school age, with cut-out paper dolls. The protagonists of the book can continue their activities beyond the limits of the book – as in a small, colourful theatre. The book has received the Children’s Jury Award.

My son reads children’s books in the evenings, and my heart warms at the thought that some of them may be illustrated by me. (Ilze Vītoliņa)