The ‘Family’ composition was created by Oksana Roshchupkina in 2013. The craftswoman had learned the craft by studying the works of Vladimir Lobyntsev — a student of the famous folk toy craftswomen Olga and Natalia Goncharova.

The Goncharova sisters revived the old methods of creating the Stary Oskol folk toys and also brought their own to the craft. The theme ‘Family’ appeared in their work around the late 1990s. There were several options of toys with multi-figure compositions, and they were usually custom-made, including themes like ‘Big Family’, ‘Small Family’, ‘Vanya — Harmonica Player’, ‘Vanya with Manya’.

Oksana Roshchupkina works with the Stary Oskol folk toy in several ways: she studies samples of the 18th — 19th centuries, makes sculptural forms following the example of the Goncharova sisters, and creates her own themes. She even managed to bring a completely new image to the craft — khorovod (Russian circle dance). Now it is firmly established in the tradition and reproduced by other masters.

Oksana Roshchupkina said the following about her interest in an old folk toy of the late 18th — early 19th century,

Some of her toys were modeled right there in the local history museum.

The craftswoman’s works are primarily based on the knowledge that the Goncharova sisters had passed on to their students. She explained that her creativity comes from the techniques that the “Goncharova ladies” adopted in the early 20th century,

In painting, the craftswoman also follows certain traditions: she prefers calm, natural colors. Once she was asked why she did not make her toys brighter. She replied: “The choice of color depends on the person who makes the toy. I like the fact that my toys turn out so gentle”.

In 2015, the masters of Stary Oskol founded the production cooperative “Stary Oskol Pottery Artel”. Its main objective is the revival and popularization of the Stary Oskol clay toy. Now there are three toymakers in the Artel — Vladimir Lobyntsev, Ekaterina Zinoviyeva, and Oksana Roshchupkina.