Awakening national pride
Nguyen Ngoc Duc's journey into agarwood painting stems from his burning passion for this precious wood. He shared that this passion had been nurtured for a long time, but it was only truly ignited strongly when he started his business more than a year ago.
Initially, he focused on common handicraft products such as jewelry and incense sticks made from agarwood. However, during a visit to an art exhibition abroad, he was deeply impressed by the artworks crafted from agarwood. He realized that agarwood was not only a rare and precious wood, but could also become a material for unique works of art, imbued with cultural and spiritual value. From then on, the idea of an agarwood art workshop began to take shape.
“When people think of Quang Nam , they think of many unique and valuable products such as Ngoc Linh ginseng and agarwood… Vietnam has many artisans with artistic talent, but agarwood paintings have yet to appear. Based on those resources and human capital, I want to create unique and valuable works of art from the products I am currently selling,” Duc said.
Starting a new art form, Nguyen Ngoc Duc faced many difficulties. He had to independently explore, research, and learn the crafting techniques, while also searching for high-quality raw materials.
"For someone taking their first steps, it's always very difficult," Ngoc Duc confided. But with passion and determination to persevere, he gradually overcame the initial challenges, creating his first agarwood paintings that bore his unique personal touch.
In early 2023, Duc's first agarwood paintings were created. Made with 100% agarwood bark and using high-quality glue imported from Germany that does not affect the agarwood scent, Duc's paintings are guaranteed to last a long time.
What makes Nguyen Ngoc Duc's agarwood paintings special is not only the unique material, but also the "soul" and "spirit" infused into each work. Each painting carries its own story, its own message, expressed through every exquisite and meticulous detail, from the eyes and expressions to the overall composition.
Ngoc Duc shared that the artistic value of agarwood paintings lies not only in the skillful cutting and pasting of agarwood fibers and the appropriate use of muted colors to create realistic and vibrant paintings, but also in the meaning and message that the artist wants to convey.
Besides the themes requested by clients, Duc Hoc Tram's paintings mainly depict portraits of leaders, heroes, historical battles, and national traditions. Duc Hoc Tram aspires to convey cultural and historical values and awaken national pride in young people through agarwood paintings.
VIDEO - Nguyen Ngoc Duc shares his entrepreneurial story with agarwood paintings.
Creating portraits of leaders like President Ho Chi Minh, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and General Vo Nguyen Giap takes 10 days to half a month to complete, while portraits depicting daily life take less time. Therefore, the price of portraits ranges from 3 to 10 million VND per piece, while portraits of leaders made from agarwood cost from 17 to 20 million VND per piece.
After more than a year of starting his business with agarwood paintings, Duc has sold nearly 100 works, mainly through TikTok. However, in the initial stages of his business, he hasn't yet reached his potential customer base. Duc's agarwood painting workshop is still using the capital from selling agarwood bracelets and incense sticks to fuel his passion for creating paintings and to strive to convey the message of agarwood paintings to the community.
Giving opportunities to people with disabilities.
Beyond his artistic creations, Nguyen Ngoc Duc also focuses on helping those in difficult circumstances, especially people with disabilities. He hopes to build his art studio into a supportive work environment, giving them opportunities to develop their talents, integrate into the community, and become more confident in life.
At the Duc Hoc Tram art workshop, Do The Hai (Tam Xuan 1 commune, Nui Thanh district), who has only been exploring this new art form for a little over 10 days, is diligently experimenting with cutting and pasting. His background is in graphic design and 3D modeling. Although still clumsy and sometimes having to start over with mistakes, he remains passionate and focused on completing his first artwork.
Besides Hai, Nguyen Van Tri (born in 2006, Tam Loc commune, Phu Ninh district), who just graduated from high school, has a stable job with a salary of 6-7 million VND/month at Mr. Duc's painting workshop.
Tri expressed: “I love art and taught myself to draw since middle school. But circumstances didn't allow me to continue my studies. Luckily, I met Mr. Duc who created a job that matches my passion, with a higher income than my previous job as a waiter. I'm about to join the military, so I hope to continue working with agarwood paintings here when I return.”
VIDEO - Ngoc Duc shares his vision for developing agarwood paintings.
The young hands at Duc Hoc Tram's painting workshop are meticulously guided by their teacher, Chau Tung Duong (Tam Dan commune, Phu Ninh district) - who has been with Ngoc Duc since the beginning. For Duong, joining Duc Hoc Tram was a stroke of luck when he was struggling to find work. As for Duc, it took him more than a week to discover that Duong is disabled. "But he is talented, meticulous, and very hardworking. So I want to create job opportunities for people with disabilities who have abilities, because I think they will strive much harder," Duc shared.
Mr. Duong shared: “At first, making agarwood paintings was very clumsy! I had tried tearing and pasting before, but paper or leaves were softer and had more colors. Separating agarwood bark would hurt my hands, the colors were less diverse, and it was very difficult to arrange the light and dark areas harmoniously, to depict volume and prominence. But after a while, I got used to it. I imagine it like a LED screen with colored dots; I separate the agarwood bark, choose the agarwood fibers, and paste them onto the painted picture. Now, I'm trying to breathe life into my agarwood paintings while also guiding newcomers on how to make them beautiful, productive, and efficient.”
Since then, Mr. Duc has also become more interested in people with disabilities who have a passion for painting, providing them with opportunities to showcase their talent and earn extra income to support themselves and their families.
In the future, this young man who started his business in agarwood aims to guide the workers at his workshop to create and sell agarwood artworks themselves. More importantly, social values will be spread, and those in difficult circumstances will receive support through Duc's agarwood paintings.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/doc-dao-tranh-tram-huong-den-gia-tri-van-hoa-lich-su-3148279.html
Comment (0)