A moment catcher with the spark of an inventor
Māris Irklis, executive director and leading photo artist of the company "Inside Linen", is a man on the move. And it pays off. First of all, when you encounter Māris’ joy of life, you will be surprised to learn that Māris is 62 years old and has just become a grandfather. Secondly, his creative energy is based on his childhood life by the sea in close contact with nature. Thirdly, Māris also always has a camera in the car, because there is no shortage of moments to capture either in the "Inside Linen" photo studio or on the road.
Everything is possible
"I've been interested in photography all my life, because my dad also took pictures when I was a child," says Māris, who was already fond of snapping pictures at parties, gatherings, weddings. But photography was never the only means of artistic expression for him. He was also interested in drawing, advertising, printing, designing and building decorations, and also video production.
Māris is an artist by nature with an inventive touch, and it just seems that he has everything in his power. It turns out it is. "If I have an idea or an interest in something, I can't be stopped. That's why all my shoes are already laced," laughs Māris.
To think and do
Most of the decorations found in the "Inside Linen" photo studio are handmade by Māris. Some objects – an antique wooden table and a simple bench – came to the studio from Māris’ childhood home, and he has restored them. "I also like to walk around the building materials store and keep an eye on things that could be used to make something," reveals Māris. So, for example, for the purposes of filming and photography, Māris has built rails, elevators and a camera stabilizer rod in the studio, but he uses a water tap as a lighting stand, because, as he admits, it's cool to invent and make something yourself.
Process matters
Currently, Māris has focused on auditing his photo archive. These are nature photos captured over decades. "I really like nature," says Māris, who, if he is suddenly unreachable, has most likely gotten into the car and gone to the forest, to the sea, to the countryside. And of course, he has his beloved Nikon camera with him.
Both the process of making a photograph and the result are equally important. "Now I am assigned to look for the best pictures in the archive for the advertising purposes of "Inside Linen" - otherwise I probably wouldn't have started this process. It is also interesting to remember how which picture was made," says Māris.
On the way
Although Māris is critical of his work, especially photography, business trips especially charge his energy battery. Just in his native Latvia, he managed to capture inspiring landscapes of the Baltic Sea as if from a bird's eye view. And also after the recent photo session that took place in Sicily, he is pleased.
"I believe that good pictures have turned out," concludes Māris, and it is true. In all the photos of the seemingly harsh southern land, you can feel the warmth of the sun, the joy and deliciousness of life - those elements that characterize not only Māris, but also the "Inside Linen" family as a whole.
Family
Māris’ wife Dina Irkle is the designer of "Inside Linen", which means one thing - work and home life are not separated in Māris’ everyday life. Every day is a flow, a movement that starts with a morning walk with the family's pet dog, Koko, to pick up speed in the day's run, when the always communicative Māris is ready to do countless things at once. The fast pace, like in nature, in his everyday life subsides only in the evening, when Māris also happens to fall into computer work. "If I'm passionate about something, I have to be put to sleep," admits Māris.
A love story
Māris has been together with his wife Dina since the eighties. At a work party, Māris, the then young artist of the household services combine, noticed a colleague - clothing designer Dina, who was 19 years old. “Such a cool girl, I thought,” Māris recalls now, while Dina does not hide that she has found “the perfect husband and colleague”.
The joint linen home and clothing company of the two has proven itself to be a high-value world-class player during its seven years of operation. At the same time, "Inside Linen" is also a family-friendly platform that loves holidays and creativity, where Māris, Dina and the rest of the team complement each other. It is significant that both the sewing rooms of "Inside Linen" and the photo studio are located in the same Latvian city where Māris and Dina once met - the romantic and beautiful Cēsis.
Holidays
The "Inside Linen" web store has also just opened, which took more than a year to create. In it, you can easily review, find, combine linen products made by the masters of "Inside Linen", as well as create unique gift boxes and get inspired. Mara's perfectly framed photos and videos create a harmonious aesthetic image for the filigree finished products - no matter if it is a napkin, a sheet or a pillowcase. It's worth a look!
Everything is real here
When I ask Māris if he is tired of linen, he says no. "I prefer to sleep in linen bedding," Māris says. Although you will most often find Māris in comfortable jeans and a plain T-shirt, he also keeps a few linen shirts and pants in his wardrobe. "I just feel good in linen," says Māris, because after all, there is nothing truer than the feelings that are unleashed by touching nature.
Text
Ance Šverna
InsideLinen family