4X Black Belt World Champion Transforms Perfect Union Eastside SacramentoMural

‍

Perfect Union, a locally-focused cannabis company with award-winning roots in the California medical and recreational markets, unveiled a new mural this year at its Sacramento-Eastside retail location, created by world-renowned Brazilian Jiu-jitsu champion and mural artist Dominyka Obelenyte. The mural, which spans the entire side of the Perfect Union flagship dispensary, is a testament to the Company’s pride in its Sacramento community, with depictions of California’s State Capitol, Sacramento’s famous Tower Bridge and more. Perfect Union commissioned Dominyka Obelenyte for the mural to underscore the company's dedication to promoting not only the physical benefits of cannabis, but also its potential to inspire and uplift communities. Obelenyte, a multiple-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, has been an outspoken wellness advocate.

‍

FOLLOW DOMINYKA ON INSTAGRAM

@DOMDABOMBURMON

To learn more about Dominyka Obelenyte and her artwork, visit www.dominyka-art.com.

‍

Sacramento Mural located at: Perfect Union 2035 Stockton Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95817(916) 452-3699 Open Mon-Sun: 9am – 9pm

‍

‍

Q&A WITH ARTIST DOMINYKA OBELENYTE

‍

Question: What inspired you to become a mural artist?

‍

Obelenyte: Art has always been a huge part of my life and my ultimate passion beyond everything, when I moved from New York to Sacramento I did an artist residency at A Space In Between in downtown Sacramento. The owner of the gallery is a muralist, and she offered for me to paint a mural in the courtyard of the space. I’ve always made really bold work and love using color to express certain themes, and scaling designs ended up being easier than I thought. You can still find my mural in the courtyard of A Space in Between today.

‍

Question: Becoming a 4x Black Belt World Champion and 10x Overall World Champion takes an incredible amount of dedication and self-discipline. Can you share with us three things you do every day that help you achieve your goals?

‍

Obelenyte: I don’t have scheduled daily goals as I find that forcing myself to do something every day removes me from passion for the thing. Generally I try to maintain a mindset of constant growth,learning, and experimentation so that I can continue to develop myself as an artist and an athlete, even during dormant times. 

‍

Question: Is there one person in particular in your life who you most attribute for you being on the path you are today? 

‍

Obelenyte: There are so many! Two of my biggest inspirations for creativity ANDlongevity are director David Lynch and theRed Hot Chili Peppers - their constantexperimentation and internal developmentmotivate me to give my all to the things Ilove. Someone I’m always learning from my day to day real life is my mentor and former coach, Emily Kwok, who is an artist and martial artist as well. She’s constantly taking on new projects and giving me much needed advice to get me closer towards my goals and myself.

‍

Question: What is the most surprising thing about you?

‍

Obelenyte: I LOVE reality TV that features real people. Love is Blind, Love Island,

90 Day Fiance - there is nothing better after a long day of painting in the hot

sun then settling in with a cold glass of Prosecco and watching an anthropological experiment take place on my TV.

‍

Question: How do you typically begin a new mural project?

‍

Obelenyte: The first step is always laying the draft out, whether that be with a doodle grid or a projector, and tracing out the design on the surface. This can take anywhere from 2 to ten hours depending on the size of the wall!

‍

Question: Do you have a special connection to California, (Sacramento or other city)?

‍

Obelenyte: As a Lithuanian-born and New York-raised human, I’ve always been inspired by the art and music scene in LA, the crazy mountains and woods ofNorthern California, and the entire coastline, from Malibu, to Big Sur, SantaCruz and on and on. California has a huge chunk of my heart forever.Sacramento was a pivotal city for me in terms of introducing me to murals, and the incredible artist and martial arts community at Urijah Faber’s UltimateFitness.

‍

Question: What are your tips to successfully bring community feeling into an artistic project so that it supports the community as a whole?

‍

Obelenyte: I think it’s always important to note what an art piece can do for a community, and what defines the community that it will belong to. Working together not just with the client, but community locals, and noting downbeloved monuments, artifacts and events that define the heart of the place are imperative.

‍

Question: How do you choose the themes or subjects for your murals?

‍

Obelenyte: I always pull from what would personally bring me joy first, and then broadly apply it to the design. I am defined by my use of color, bold shapes, and organic matter, that's why no matter what I’m working on, I will try to set up a palette that has impact, and plants,animals or shapes that make you look twice.

‍

Question: Can you share an example of a(different, other than Sacrament), collaborative mural project you worked on and its impact on the community?

‍

Obelenyte: One of my favorite projects was a collection of five murals in a jiu jitsu gym in WallStreet, New York. The project was a special collaboration with myself and the owner of the gym, Luca Atalla, who not only used to run a famous jiu jitsu magazine that I was featured in many times as a competitor, but who also contributed to the design of the murals. Luca and his friend took a small airplane over Rio deJaneiro in Brazil, and took pictures of local landmarks and monuments, I then took these pictures and edited and colorized them into something more my style to create a series of gorgeous landscape murals.This was a very special collaborative opportunity for me, not only to work with another artist, but to bring to life images that are emblematic of Brazilian JiuJitsu and its country of origin.

‍

Question: What are the top three songs on your most listened to playlist?

‍

Obelenyte: Ooo this is a hard one! My top three at the moment have to be: Distant Past byEverything Everything, Yeah Right by Toro y Moi and Stumped by Minor Threat.

‍

Question: If you had to choose one person, one thing and one food to be on a desert island with you, who and what would they be?

‍

Obelenyte: One person: definitely my boyfriendSamson, he is my favorite person, someone who always knows how to make the best of a bad situation and I know he would entertain me to no end. Discounting items of utility, I'd probably bring a surfboard so I could practice standing in whitewater in my free time (which is all the time). Lastly, the one food I couldn't stand to live without out there would probably be chocolate, because of course.

‍

Question: If you had to describe yourself in three emojis, what would they be?

‍

Obelenyte: Ooo definitely the cowboy becauseyeehaw, I’d also say the snake because I love reptiles, and the lil hairy demon mask because it speaks to my chaotic menace energy.

‍

Question: What is on your “someday maybe ish”i.e. you smish. list to do one day? 

‍

Obelenyte: Two HUGE goals for me would be to put together a collection of cohesive large scale mixed media paintings for a solo show in one of my fave cities, AND to do a live painting or mural at a festival alongside one of my fave bands/artists!

‍