“Breathing life” into driftwood

Through his skillful, talented hands and rich imagination, Mr. Hoang Van Kien - a carver has "breathed life" into and transformed rough, lifeless tree stumps and logs into unique products of high artistic value. These art products crafted from driftwood have gradually gained a foothold in the market and are favored by many customers.

Mr. Kien (right) completed the work "Phu the vien man" for the customer.

Start from passion

By chance, one winter day, I was driving along Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, through Van Phu Ward, Viet Tri City, when I came across workers who were diligently sanding a set of tables and chairs made from crooked tree stumps. In their dusty work clothes and tight masks, I could not tell who the workshop owner and the workers were. Seeing someone visiting the workshop, Mr. Hoang Van Kien - the owner of the wood carving establishment, brushed off the dust on his clothes and temporarily took off his mask to invite the guests in for a drink.

Every year, Mr. Kien's workshop brings hundreds of unique carved products to the market.

Over a cup of hot tea, Mr. Kien shared his passion for a profession that not everyone can do. Born in 1985 in a farming family in Hai Luu commune, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province, after graduating from the Central Wood Processing Technical Workers' School, now the College of Technology, Economics and Forestry Processing - the cradle of specialized wood processing training and the largest scale of wood processing technical workers training in the agricultural and rural development sector of the country, Mr. Kien did not return to his hometown to start a business but struggled from North to South. He worked for wood processing workshops in Kon Tum and Ha Giang provinces - places where wood processing and wood carving are developed. Having been trained in skills through school and nearly ten years of practical training, he learned many things, interacted with many skilled workers, thereby helping to improve his skills and accumulate experience. Determined to pursue his career, in 2015, Mr. Kien decided to leave Ha Giang for Viet Tri city to start a business with the desire to open his own wood carving facility instead of returning to his hometown of Song Lo, Vinh Phuc. Because according to him, wood carvings mainly serve customers with good economic conditions and aesthetic taste, so Viet Tri city is a suitable place to open a workshop.

Mr. Kien recounted the early days of opening the wood workshop: “With the support of my family, I opened a wood workshop in a beautiful location close to the traffic route, but in the beginning, the workshop had few customers. Partly because customers did not know about my products and the real value of wood carvings. However, I was not discouraged and created works from the smallest ones such as statues of famous people to large products such as wood paintings with sophisticated, sharp, soulful carvings. Gradually, art lovers spread the word and came to the workshop to buy more and more products.”

Carving is a high-end handicraft. In addition to being skillful and creative, the carving profession also requires the craftsman to be patient and truly passionate about the profession. When learning the profession, in addition to basic techniques, the craftsman must train his imagination to know how to shape and sketch the product right from his thoughts. According to Mr. Kien, wood carving is also a craft on wood, but it is different from civil carpentry in that wood carving requires more patience, dexterity, meticulousness, creativity and artistry. While civil carpentry can use machines to mass-produce similar products, each work of art sculpture is almost entirely handmade and unique.

From tree stumps, trunks, tree roots... the craftsman creates products based on the shape, color, wood grain or rough spots on each block of wood. From there, creating vivid details, imbued with Vietnamese culture. Therefore, despite the same size, shape or wood material, the beauty and "soul" of each work created by Mr. Kien are different, no work is the same as another.

The technique of carving channels requires skill and meticulousness in every detail to create a unique work of art.

The craftsman manually shapes every small detail on the product.

Expand the market

The wood carving products created by Mr. Kien have familiar images close to the life of Vietnamese people such as Buddha statues, statues of happiness - prosperity - longevity, statues of 12 zodiac animals, countryside paintings... Each work costs from several million to several tens of millions of VND, even hundreds of millions of VND depending on the type of wood, size and sophistication. After 20 years of working in the profession, his wood carving facility has affirmed the trust of customers. From the tree stump, the roots that seem to be discarded, through his talented hands, they have taken on a unique appearance and spirit, enhancing the value of the wood that customers love. Currently, each month, the facility receives 10-15 orders for customers in and outside the province.

While quickly polishing the finished product “Phu the vien man” after a month of construction, Mr. Kien said that to create a sculpture, it must go through 4 stages, including: Coming up with ideas, chiseling to create shape, carving details and finally polishing, in which the most important is coming up with ideas. In addition to basic techniques, the craftsman must learn to draw to know how to create shapes, sketch out large lines as well as small motifs on each work. Therefore, when choosing wood, it must be very meticulous, good quality wood, less warping, flexible, tough, not cracked and not infested with termites.

Satisfied with the work "Phu the vien man" that Mr. Kien is completing the final stage, Mr. Hoang Viet Cuong - a customer shared: "During a business trip, I accidentally bought a rough piece of driftwood in Son La for 2.5 million VND from a local villager, so I brought it back and asked the craftsman to craft it. When I came up with the idea for this piece of wood with Mr. Kien, I thought it would be similar to the familiar sample works online. But when I saw and touched each detail of the delicate, sharp, and soft carvings, I was very satisfied. Phu the vien man is a strong symbol of the perfect beauty of a happy couple. This beautiful, harmonious work beyond expectations will bring happiness, luck, wealth, and fortune to my family in the upcoming New Year of the Snake."

Thanks to his intelligence and quickness, the beautiful and unique works from his hands with 9 fingers crafted by Mr. Kien are becoming more and more known. His wood workshop attracts many people to learn and practice the profession. Some people, after being “guided by him”, have opened their own establishments, becoming “satellite” workshops. Every year, his facility brings to the market hundreds of wood products, thereby creating stable jobs for 3-5 workers with salaries of 15-17 million VND/person/month.

Sharing his plans for the future, Mr. Kien said: “Previously, I simply thought that if I did well and had beautiful products, many people would automatically spread the word and know my address. But in the digital age, I also have to change my mindset to approach and expand the market. Therefore, I plan to open a showroom, introduce products and continue to expand the fine art carving facility to further develop the profession, while continuing to train and create jobs for many workers who are passionate about the profession.”

With the entrepreneurial aspiration, daring to think and dare to do of Mr. Hoang Van Kien, we believe that the fine art wood carving facility owned by him will continue to develop, contributing to creating jobs for many local workers and creating many works of art to beautify life.

Hong Nhung

Source: https://baophutho.vn/thoi-hon-cho-go-lua-225838.htm