Viktoriia Veprentsova giving a tattoo to a client inside Stray Cat Tattoo on Monday, Dec. 2. Veprentsova has been working at the Snohomish shop after arriving in America about three-and-a-half months ago.
Photo by Maeve Smith
SNOHOMISH —Tucked in an Avenue D strip mall sits Stray Cat Tattoo, and in this studio Viktoriia Veprentsova has found a haven for her art after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Veprentsova is a 21-year-old tattoo artist who made waves throughout Europe with her work. She has competed in various tattoo conventions, receiving awards in the Craziest Tattoo category at two conventions in Germany, and an award in the Black and Grey category at the Tattoo Convention Göppingen.
Veprentsova’s passion for tattoos grew out of a love of drawing. In her final years of Upper Secondary school, what Americans would call high school, Veprentsova became enamored with the idea of pursuing tattooing professionally.
“On my seventeenth birthday I saved up money and bought my first machine,” Veprentsova said. Within just a few months of this purchase, she began working at a major tattoo studio in Kyiv.
One year later, though, war interrupted everything.
In February of 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, beginning in Veprentsova’s hometown of Kyiv.
“It was early in the morning, around five a.m., when I heard terrifying loud explosions,” said Veprentsova. “We didn’t understand what was happening. Soon the news confirmed the invasion.”
Amid this conflict, the heating was cut off from Veprentsova’s home, forcing her and her family to sleep in “multiple layers of clothing, including a jacket and boots.”
After a week spent surviving off “canned soup and dry noodles,” Veprentsova and her family experienced a particularly terrifying evening together.
“One night, the sky turned red from a nearby blast. My family and I huddled in the corner, covered in a blanket, silently saying goodbye to each other.” Veprentsova said. “The sounds grew louder. I closed my eyes and waited. Then suddenly, silence. We hugged, cried, and realized we survived.”
“I thought my life was ending. I was only 18 and hadn’t yet seen the world,” said Veprentsova.
This moment pushed Veprentsova, her mother, and her boyfriend to leave Kyiv, wandering for a week with no destination. “Just away from the danger,” Veprentsova said.
Eventually the group “boarded a train to Lviv under the sounds of explosions and sirens.” The day before they planned to leave the main train station was bombed, “which completely shattered our hope,” said Veprentsova.
Despite this danger, they decided to board the train, and made their way to the city of Lviv, in the western part of Ukraine. From here the group was shuffled around, spending a few nights in an old school in Lviv, then moving to Poland, then to Germany where they lived in a refugee shelter.
“But the hardest part of it all was not being able to say a proper goodbye to my father and the rest of my family,” said Veprentsova.
Veprentsova’s father was forced to stay behind as men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave the country. “It’s been nearly three years now, and I still haven’t seen my dad.” Veprentsova said. “ I miss him every day and don’t even know when I’ll be able to see and hug him again.”
“Thankfully, he’s safe now,” said Veprentsova.
After two and a half years of hardship, Veprentsova and her boyfriend applied to come to America under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program. This program was enacted in 2022 and offers Ukrainians with a sponsor in the U.S. a temporary 2-year residency.
Veprentsova and her boyfriend were sponsored by acquaintances who live in the United States. Her mother stayed in Germany to care for Veprentsova’s grandmother.
Her first application was reviewed for around a month and then rejected. She tried again and a month later her application was accepted. A month after that Veprentsova arrived in America.
She has now been living in Snohomish for three and a half months with her boyfriend, and has found a welcoming community in the Stray Cat Tattoo shop.
She found the shop on Google Maps and was drawn to it by the “heartfelt reviews from clients.” Upon visiting the shop she was welcomed by studio owner Charlie White, who was quickly interested in Veprentsova’s talents.
“He was friendly, immediately offered to see my work, and expressed his readiness to collaborate,” Veprentsova said.
A recent “new and incredible experience” Veprentsova had while working at Stray Cat Tattoo came on this recent Veterans Day. White converted an old school bus into a mobile tattoo studio and drove through the main streets of Snohomish offering free tattoos to veterans.
“It was such a heartfelt day. We connected with amazing people, listened to their stories, and gave them meaningful tattoos. These moments were filled with warmth and sincerity,” Veprentsova said.
Natalie Trimbo-Forthun, a fellow artist at Stray Cat Tattoos, describes Veprentsova’s work as “absolutely amazing.”
“I think her work has a boldness and an edge that stands out, in imagery and in quality.” Trimbo-Forthun said. “Once people take notice that she’s here, I believe her work will be sought after.”
Veprentsova came to Snohomish as some of her friends from Ukraine lived here and welcomed her and her boyfriend into their home. She has found the community here to be incredibly kind.
“I feel completely at home here,” Veprentsova said. “I was welcomed with incredible warmth, especially at the studio where I work.”
Veprentsova hopes to continue attending and competing in tattoo conventions here in America. “I dream of visiting as many conventions across the U.S. as possible, and I’m determined to make that happen soon,” said Veprentsova.
She hopes to apply for U.S. citizenship as soon as she is able. Her best path forward to complete this goal is applying for the EB-1A visa, which is a visa reserved for immigrants with “extraordinary abilities.”
Once Veprentsova obtains this visa she will be able to maintain permanent residence in the U.S., and after about five years, she will be able to apply for citizenship.
“Citizenship will offer prospects for growth, stability, and a better future, marking the final stage toward a more stable life and helping me expand into new areas while continuing to do what I love.” Veprentsova said.
“Getting to know her and hear her story, and see her resilience is inspiring.” Trimbo-Forthun said. “I’m really happy she’s found a place here and I’m honored to be one of the first artists to work with her here in America. I want and expect great things from her.”
