Duong Huong Nhien has been making colourful paintings on sacred fig leaves for around two years. (Photo: VNA) Duong Huong Nhien, who has been making the paintings for around two years,said the idea originated when she was once gifted some sacred leaves, andshe became mesmerised with its beauty and intricate vein structure.
She first used the leaves to make box covers as a gift, after which shedecided to make drawings to make the leaves look more unusual.
“The sacred fig has a special meaning in Buddhism. Buddha attainedenlightenment after meditating under a sacred fig tree, so the image of Buddhais inseparable from the sacred fig,” she told Vietnam News.
To prepare the leaves for drawing, she picks out sacred fig leaves that havestrong and clear vein structures and submerges them in water for around amonth.
She then uses a brush to wash out the leaves’ tissue, leaving behind atransparent skeleton structure, which after being dried can be dyed a differentcolour such as yellow or blue.
Painting on the leaves’ skeleton is not an easy task, as each stroke of painthas to be carefully and delicately drawn on the fragile leaf.
As more and more colour and intricate details are slowly added to the drawing,her depiction of a farmboy on a bull seems to come to life.
“The leaves’ skeleton has holes all over it, and at first it was really easy toaccidentally smear the colour,” she said.
Drawing tiny details is also difficult, Nhien said, adding that even theslightest distraction, such as a stranger staring at her, may make itimpossible for her to draw with pinpoint accuracy.
Paintings with lots of intricate details can take a few days for her to finish.
After a painting is done, she typically encloses it with a light woodenframe which can be set up on a surface or hung on a wall.
Nhien’s husband also makes leaf paintings with her, and she typically sells herfinished products online.
At first she only made the paintings as a hobby and from a desire totry out a new drawing material. Over time she received a lot of positivefeedback after she promoted her products on several handicraft forums.
Young people also enjoy buying them as gifts for foreign friends, she said.
“Aside from Buddhism, I also really like drawing folk paintings. I have a deeplove for them, and so I want to make products that are unique and conveyVietnamese culture so as to promote them to young people and foreigners.”
Nhien is now trying to apply her artwork to different forms ofdecoration, such as lamps. She will also attempt making 3D paintings onthe leaves.
The art of making paintings on sacred fig leaves is done in India and China,where it depicts the countries’ cultures and religions.
Now Nhien is applyingher Vietnamese touch to the craft./.
VNA