Victoria Shaparina

Engagingly Gothic

by Pam North

Like many other self-taught artists, Victoria Shaparina’s interest began in her childhood from her fascination with fairy tales. The books depicting dark forests and quaint cottages provided the backdrop for Victoria’s own imagination in conjuring up images  of fantasy characters in folklore: wizards, vampires, werewolves. These magical beings inspired her to write short stories and make drawings to capture their make-believe essence into her own reality, and eventually the miniature world became the venue for recreating the elements of her fascination for mysteries, haunted houses, haute couture and history, all coming together for her as a dream job. 
The catalyst for her entrance into creativity and self-expression was by chance; it started with a friend’s gift to her eight years ago - a polymer clay pendant that he friend had made. It was the spark that touched off her own creativity. Victoria decided to try working in the same material, although her first effort, a green-skinned vampire, was baked in the oven at too high a temperature, resulting in a burnt offering, so to speak. Refusing to be discouraged, she prevailed, and  her practice efforts ultimately yielded success. Internet doll-making tutorials aided in the development of her expertise, and her initial primitive figures evolved into dolls, which, of course, needed accessories and then their own environment, and so a dollhouse demanded to be created. A Victorian haunted mansion became a reality, requiring almost six months to complete. It had two inhabitants: Joachim, a young man, and Adelina, a ghost. The story Victoria devised as a backdrop had Joachim purchasing an old house to refurbish it to live in with his future wife. A ghost intervened with his plan, however, haunting his everyday life. The concept intrigued her, fueling her ideas as to what elements should surround her imaginary characters. The house primarily was of cardboard, wood, and papier-mâché, the last  becoming her favorite and indispensable material for constructing miniature components, such as trees, stones, grounds, and ornaments. 
A resident of  Ryazan, Russia, Victoria now expresses herself in half-scale dolls, houses, and furniture just for the creatures that dwell in her imagination. It’s important for her to make everything herself, with the exception of LED lighting, which she leaves to her brother to install. The creativity process gives her great enjoyment. She loves the detail work, such as things like a mouse under a door, or a handprint on a wall, which are hallmarks of her work. What she likes most about miniatures is the constant development, experimenting with new techniques, materials, and forms, and she keeps evolving to more complex projects. “I never get bored,” she said. She depicts her workplace as more of a storage, with large bags and boxes of paints, fabrics, leathers, and other materials. “The quantity in it is constantly growing, Sometimes it’s hard to believe I need such a great amount of materials to make such small things!” she remarked. Her tools are quite simple; she especially likes toothpicks for sculpting, carving, and gluing, and also prefers using silicone brushes. Inspiration for her comes from many sources, such as books, phrases, a song, or a picture. “While I’m working, time flies for me. It seems to me that I’ve just begun working, but then it’s already time to have supper, and I haven’t even  cooked it yet! I’m thankful for my boyfriend who can do it for me. Maybe dark aesthetic is not what he appreciates much, but he has supported me from the very start of my artistic career.”
Technically she is not a collector of miniatures, preferring instead that her creatures go to loving homes. She did attempt to make a doll for herself a few years ago; it was Joker, a character from Japanese manga, Black Butler. “I was greatly impressed by his sad story,” she explained. “The doll looks a bit simple in comparison with the dolls I make now, but I still love him and would never part with him.”

She has made a second dollhouse that reminds her of an image she liked as a child – a small old hut in a swampy forest. Her interpretation of that image includes a young witch named Letty, who resides there with her pets and magical creatures. The hut‘s materials include cardboard, wood, and papier-mâché, and she used a glazing resin to simulate water. She is working now on a vampire castle, having long been fascinated with Gothic architecture and classical, aristocratic vampires who wear dark cloaks and sleep in coffins. The castle has several inhabitants, each with its own story and personality. She intends to have it completed next year, and considers it to be the most challenging project she has attempted so far.\