VietNamNet Bridge - With nimble fingers, Mai Trang transforms fallen leaves into beautiful works of art. The uniqueness of Vu Gia leaf paintings lies not only in the materials but also the artisan’s creativity.
Although Mai Trang is not the vanguard in the genre of leaf painting, she has made breakthroughs in the art and created paintings imbued with national characteristics which win great praise from those in the artist circles.
Using natural colours of leaves together with her skilfulness and subtle feelings, Mai Trang embeds her soul into every painting, making them the link between humans and nature and between the artist and viewers.
Although there are various materials used as well as numerous techniques applied to create paintings, Mai Trang likes using dry leaves to depict lively life, nature and humans.
To make a valuable and high-quality painting, she travels to every region throughout the country to retrieve suitable leaves and then spends countless hours preparing her findings, such as cleansing, boiling, etc.
Important features such as the leaves colours and the physical qualities are scrutinized before being used in a painting.
Examining Mai Trang’s paintings of rural landscapes, moss-covered ancient streets and graceful girls in long dress or traditional loose-fitting blouse, viewers can appreciate the simplicity and oriental style of the piece.
Mai Trang was trained in this artistic format in China and Japan. After returning to her native country she began making her creations but met with indifference because the genre was unknown to Vietnamese.
A few months of rejection was soon forgotten when a Canadian saw her art and bought her pieces.
Armed with new inspiration, Mai Tang continued to express her artistic talents in her art and now the paintings are sought after both domestically and internationally.
Her works, under the brand name Vu Gia, are available at stores throughout Vietnam.
For Mai Trang, the reward for her perseverance is that via her paintings, she is introducing Vietnam and its people to international friends.
With her talent, passion and creativity, she will surely obtain more achievements in the art.
(Source: Vietnam Pictorial) | 
