My Greeting Cards
Author: Viktorina Savelieva
There have always been two women living within me. One loved to think; the other was sentimental, loved art and every kind of craft. At the age of seventeen, they parted ways for a time. The first graduated from the Polytechnic Institute and built a successful engineering career. Her work provided for her, developed her mind, gifted her many friends, and brought her a good husband. Let us call her, say, Viktorina Yuryevna, the Woman Engineer. The second, the Woman Romantic, seemed to disappear for a while altogether, and many people did not even know she existed. In fairness, it should be said that it was precisely she who could easily make, to use the crude expression of those times, “something out of nothing.” It was considered a sign of poverty.
With age, people become sentimental, and somewhere around the age of fifty, the Woman Romantic gradually began to push aside the one who had long provided for them both, astonishing everyone by earning an artist’s diploma just before retirement. Yet she would probably have remained in a secondary role, since by then the pair were fairly well-off.
Then Perestroika happened and pushed the Engineer into the background, depriving her of work. Or rather, she herself stepped into the shadows, urgently mobilizing the Romantic, who could provide for them only with the help of her hands, her eyes, and, as she likes to assure everyone, her soul and heart. And, according to her, with the brain completely switched off.
Since then, the Engineer has had a difficult time. The Romantic, who has come to think very highly of herself, cannot begin anything without her. So the Engineer has to remain the ideologist and driving force, staying in the shadows while bringing this silly woman out into the world. They now live in Canada, and the Romantic is now known as Quebec artist Viktorina Savelieva. The collection of handmade greeting cards she created—and which has been recognized in North America and, thanks to the Internet, around the world—is called Viktorina Cards.
Everything that follows will be told on behalf of Viktorina Yuryevna Savelieva, the Woman Engineer, the organizer of the success of Viktorina Cards. You can view the entire collection by opening the website www.amazzzingcards.com.
Viktorina has fulfilled the dream of any designer by creating a new style unique to herself alone. She somehow manages, by gluing together whatever bits and pieces happen to come to hand—excuse me, what might be called junk—to create elegant, eye-catching compositions united by a single style. The original core of the collection consists of three-dimensional themed collages mounted on a shimmering, “silk-like” base. This essay presents photographs of cards featuring collages made from ecological materials: dried flowers and petals, leaves, bark, and dry grasses. As in her other cards, the style is preserved—the collages are mounted on a “silk-like,” iridescent background. The main size of the cards is 5 x 7 inches. The photographs are arranged by theme.
New Zealand. Please open the link to view the illustrations.
Our journey through New Zealand exceeded even our boldest expectations. It was a dream come true, a fairy tale, a burst of fireworks! It was a victory over our age and over life’s circumstances! Driving 7,500 kilometres in a rental car gave us the freedom to stop anywhere we liked. We were young again, travelling with a tent and planning our route without a guide. Every minute of those 35 unforgettable days brought us the joy of discovery: a turquoise ocean and picturesque lakes; fantastically shaped mountains and peaceful pastures; rivers and waterfalls; volcanoes and volcanic valleys; caves and modern cities; fjords; cruises; sunny days and pouring rain—and much, much more that will surely become part of the treasure chest of our finest memories.
Landscapes. Please open the link to view the illustrations.
We love nature, travel a great deal, and walk a lot. Mountains, forest, sea, and river at different times of day and in different seasons can change their colours in the most astonishing ways!
Compositions. Please open the link to view the illustrations.
There are very many of them; it was difficult to limit their number.
These photographs do not require any description.
Exclusive Greeting Cards
The size of these cards is 8 x 10 inches. The two cards shown here are only a small part of those commissioned by Madame Asya Zaritskaya, a Montreal admirer of Nikolai Baskov, for her idol on the occasion of important events in his life. According to reports that reached us, our cards stood out among the thousands of others received by Nikolai Baskov.
Angel Day:
A romantic central composition (a collage of dried flowers, rose petals, and leaves) is mounted in a frame and placed on a card designed in the style of antique photo albums. The blue silk trim on the front (the water and upper framing), as well as on the inside with the poetic greeting, gives the card an exquisitely festive elegance.
For a Birthday:
A collage of dried leaves and flowers with miniature photographs of Nikolai Baskov and his wife Svetlana in Russian costumes, seated in a carriage drawn by a troika of horses.