One artist from Central Asia discovered a love for crafting antique furniture and interior décor—on a miniature scale.
Artist Olga Mokriskaya, from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (bordering the Caspian Sea), started rendering tiny themed rooms—rich in texture and meticulous in detail—inside adorably packaged “roombox suitcases.” She developed her pastime as a young girl.
The artist recalls the fondness of playing with dolls as a child as a precursor to her work.
“I built houses for them from boxes, and furniture from scrap materials,” Olga, 43, told The Epoch Times. “As an adult, I did not stop dreaming about the puppet world and began to collect dolls.”
She would get “carried away” with card making, scrapbooking, and cardboard crafts. Assembling all these hobbies, Olga found a way to combine them into a miniature world and began making vintage-inspired dollhouses inside of tiny faux suitcase dioramas.
The talented artist put her experience making postcards and boxes out of “fabric cartoning” to use, creating her miniatures from cardboard, paper, fabric, and lace.
She casts photo frames and furniture décor elements from liquid plastic silicone molds; and uses plywood and wood to make miniature wardrobes, fireplaces, and beds. Some items are adorned with jewelry and beads. Olga has attended several masterclasses learning how to paint and age surfaces and furniture textures.
“Miniature is primarily a scale,” Olga explained. “It is very important to maintain scale in all items and accessories. This is the only way to create the feeling of a reduced copy of real objects.” Working on a micro scale sometimes poses a challenge “to keep in your hands.”
It can take two weeks to finish one roombox. But working on a project she’s particularly passionate about can speed the process to one week.
As for where she discovers inspiration, Olga says the many interior spaces she visits—at parties, furniture and jewelry stores, and hotels—keeps her imagination flowing. She admits being inspired by the work of other artists too. Olga’s work self-perpetuates; positive energy gleaned from one work lends itself to the next.
Of all the things she makes, Olga especially loves to recreate antique interiors.
“It’s like touching history,” she explained. “When I manage to create furniture or an object that looks like it has been used for a long time, I feel real pleasure.”
“I would like to say how important it is, in life, to do what you like,” Olga reflected. “Have your own hobby that brings pleasure and income.”
Olga expresses gratitude to each of her subscribers for the kind words that are addressed to her. “You give me strength and inspiration for new creations,” she said.
