They say the best gifts are hand-made. Today I was gifted with this, a Russian nesting doll (matreshka*) remix of my Blasphemous characters.
That's Hailey on one side and Holly on the other. These photos don't do the piece justice on a textural level -- there's glitter glazed into the hair and a reflective sheen to the skin. And the craftiest detail of all is that the pair are
seamlessly woven together in much the same way I visualize them : inseparable.
A little about the artist, an unexpected treasure in-and-of herself :
Victoria Yurkovets hails from Moscow, where she's most famous for her involvement in the Russian gaming community. She's hosted numerous reviews and interviews as "Kiguri", an alias that can be traced back to her
Deviant Art account. It was through these things -- gaming and illustration -- that I came to know (and eventually meet) Vika. She's heavily into metal, cosplay, anime and, more recently, nail art. She speaks English and Japanese. Her pets include arachnids, reptiles and mammals. She hisses at children.
photo by Alex Klimov
I could go on, but one of the things I find most captivating about Victoria is the recurring cast of characters she draws. They all have names and histories -- lives that take place both on and off the page. She refers to them as one would refer to close friends or family members. They're part of her. In her way, she encouraged me to start doing the same with my characters -- to become more familiar with them, cherish them, give them personalities. Destinies.
And so, to the giver of this torrid, twisted and telltale gift -- to the giver of many possible destinies -- I say "Thank you, my one, my only Ki." If my artist self has ever had a muse, it's you.
.................................I love you SO MUCH.
*I should mention, too, that Kiguri does these matreshkas on a limited commission basis. You can contact her for rates...AT YOUR OWN RISK!
