Oleg says he has had a passion for woodwork since childhood. It is true that he had to learn to carve on his own, as there was no one in his family to teach him, but this was not an insurmountable obstacle for the curious young man. "There was a folk woodcarver in our town, and it was only with him that I saw that you have to use half-round chisels to do everything. I only had that lesson, and then I had to see for myself what was what, and how," the master said of his first acquaintance with the specifics of the carver's craft. Now, he says, it would be much simpler - there are training centres, classes, and the internet is full of information and templates - you just have to watch and know how to choose.
Before moving to his homestead in Zarasai district, Olegas Ribikauskas worked in the Panevėžys Cathedral, as a joiner. Already then, back in Soviet times, he bought a small homestead in the Zarasai region near Lake Chichiri. As he says, it was not yet fashionable to buy a homestead by the lake, so he would only go there occasionally to rest. As his family grew up, he saw that he was running out of space, so he bought a homestead on the other side of the lake. They settled there. He says that it took a lot of work to clean up the farmhouse, which had not been lived in for 15 years: he replaced and covered the reed roof, restored it and planted a garden. Although his family members did not object to Oleg's hobby of craftsmanship and carving, he admits that "arts" are not a very profitable occupation. "So now I would know how to bring up my children! I would know how to educate children, because I didn't educate my daughter first: the youngest one graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts. But I will teach anyone who has or will have children. If you see them starting to draw beautifully, slap them and put them in a corner. So that, God forbid, she doesn't become a painter or an artist. Because there are plenty of beggars in the family as it is." He adds that carving is more for the soul's refreshment and self-expression.
