Full Article posted below

Fresh Faces – By Stephanie Finnegan

• Self-starter:
Artist Marina Bychkova, 24, began her first foray into dollmaking at a very young age. She was 6 years old when she fashioned her first toy, and admits she made hundreds of others in the ensuing years. “I was never happy with the dolls I had as a child. They were all the same stiff-jointed, chubby-faced, homely plastic toys. They inspired me to create graceful: jointed dolls that could mimic human movement and look delicate.” At age 10, the precocious Bychkova constructed a twodimensional paper doll with efficient joints. “I sold them to my classmates,
who really liked that they could interact with one another instead of being stuck in the same position forever”

• Creative Compass:
Born in Siberia; Russia, Bychkova immigrated to Canada with her family when she was 14 years old. She currently resides “on the beautiful coast of British Columbia.” The talented young woman earned a B.A. from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. These days she spends her time working at a “myth and magic j shop called Dragon space. It’s an enchanting environment. The store is located on tiny, picturesque Cranville Island, across from downtown Vancouver. It’s home to numerous arts-and-craft studios, and is always bursting with creative energy. You all should Visit there!”

• Belief System:
As the aspiring artist tested her wings and tried her hand at watercolors, pencil drawing and sculpting, her family supported and encouraged her. However, they initially thought of it as a mere pastime. “Creating things with my hands has always come easily and naturally to me. There was a level of skepticism when I began pursuing it profession.ally. Now they are proud”
• Happily Ever After?:
“Somebody would have to psychoanalyze me to pinpoint exactly why I love the fairytale genre. Perhaps, it’s because they are boiled-down versions of basic human fears and needs. They describe the horrors, cruelty and greed of humanity with unflinching simplicity and bluntness. It is the inherent human capability for violence, as well as beauty, which is expressed in fairy tales.”

Right (image of Snow Maiden): Hearkening back to her Russian roots, Bychkova crafted the “Snow Maiden,” based on an ancient folk-tale character called “the Daughter of Father Winter.”
Her costume is bead-embroidered with:
476 Austrian crystals, 76 rhinestones,
1,045 metal beads and more than
30,000 glass seed beads!

The Siren,” 11.5 inches tall, took the artist 150 hours to complete. The alluring character also features intricate tattooing.

Bychkova’s dolls truly are enchanting. Her depiction of the “Concubine” meshes her passion for eroticism with her meticulous sculpting and dazzling jewelry/beading embellishments.