Select your language
This section features coins whose design was created by the artist – from the initial concept to the final visual solution.
Elīna Brasliņa approaches everything with meticulous study and attention to detail, while maintaining an easy-going nature and a pure heart – what she describes as her "genuine, childlike joy".
Over 20 children's books featuring Elīna Brasliņa's illustrations have been published in the five years since her graduation from the Art Academy of Latvia. Most recently, her debut animated film Jēkabs, Mimmi un runājošie suņi (Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs, 2019) was released on screens. It has sky-rocketed in popularity, and there is no doubt that other films will follow. The film was created in collaboration with writer Luīze Pastore, based on her book Maskačkas stāsti (The Stories of Maskachka District), and serves as a natural continuation of their joint work following the success of the children's book series Mākslas detektīvi (Art Detectives). The series, beloved by young readers, includes Pazudušais pērtiķis (The Lost Monkey), Neredzamais cilvēks (The Invisible Man), Svešinieka atnākšana (The Coming of a Stranger), all published in 2015, as well as Operācija "Maska" (Operation "Mask") and Pēdējais ķēniņš (The Last King), both published in 2016. The series is not over yet!
For each book, the writer selects a masterpiece of a Latvian classical painting and weaves an exciting story around mysterious events "behind the scenes" of the artwork. The hidden secrets of the art world are uncovered by three young detectives – two children and a dog. Meanwhile, the illustrator skilfully adapts to the style, technique, and brushwork of each painter, while still preserving her own distinct and recognisable approach to character creation and illustration.
Elīna Brasliņa has a remarkable talent for giving each character a unique, slightly playful and mischievous appearance, which she consistently maintains throughout the story, from page to page. The artist's recognisable style, marked by her seamless line drawing technique and skilful use of colour blocking to emphasise key ideas, ensures that the clarity and essence of her message is never lost, even within dynamic and richly detailed compositions. Amidst the various characters and events, the artist often skilfully incorporates portraits of notable figures from the era of the painting's original creator, along with subtle background details, into her illustrations. It is all in the details!
Elīna Brasliņa was born on 31 May 1988 in Riga.
She studied at Riga French Lycée from 1995 to 2007 and pursued French language and literature at the University of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. Additionally, she enhanced her knowledge through the Erasmus exchange programme at University of Nancy in France in 2009. Although she successfully began translating books, she inevitably returned to her childhood dream of becoming an artist. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Art in 2015 and a Master's degree in 2018 from the Art Academy of Latvia.
Additionally, she has illustrated children's books by notable Latvian authors, including Rūta Briede, Inguna Cepīte, Luīze Pastore, Lūcija Strauta, Māris Rungulis, Juris Zvirgzdiņš, and others. Elīna Brasliņa actively participated in the London Book Fair in both 2018 and 2019. She has successfully collaborated with foreign authors, and her illustrations have featured the works of various Latvian writers, resulting in publications in Latvia, Belgium, Brazil, Czechia, Denmark, Croatia, Ireland, the UK, and Spain.
She has received numerous nominations, recognitions, and prizes for her children's book illustrations, including a nomination for Jānis Baltvilks Prize and a recognition for her debut in 2014, Golden Apple Tree Award in both 2014 and 2015, Pastariņš Prize in 2017, and Jānis Baltvilks Prize in 2017, among others.
She has been actively participating in Latvian and international graphic and illustration exhibitions since 2012, including the graphic works exhibition Keisti Kaimynai in Vilnius, Lithuania (2012), a picture book exhibition at the National Library of Latvia (2014), a graphic works exhibition at Katowice Art Academy in Poland (2016), Expanding the Scope of Printmaking exhibition in Taiwan (2016), the illustration exhibition Running with Wolves at the London Book Fair in the United Kingdom (2018), and the Latvian book illustrators' exhibition Zirgs (Horse) in South Korea (2021), among others.
She has held seven solo exhibitions in Riga (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018), Jūrmala (2017), Roja (2017), and Ventspils (2018).
The biography was prepared by Rūta Muižniece,
Master of Arts
