The boy with the talent of embroidering pictures on leaves

Painting with thread

In a small house in Ea Kao ward ( Dak Lak province) is a unique art space. Large and small rolls of thread sparkle like rainbows under the lights. Before the whirlwind of technology, just a push of a button can create a series of products, but the young man Nguyen Nhat Khiem (born in 2000) is still quietly, diligently working on his needle and thread.

Mr. Nguyen Nhat Khiem meticulously embroiders pictures.

The paintings made entirely from thread make many people interested and surprised. “When hearing about needles and thread, everyone probably thinks it is only for women who like embroidery or in the garment industry,” Khiem continued. When he came to this passion, he also received a lot of criticism and prejudice from everyone, but fortunately he was encouraged by his family.

His career story seems to lead us on a journey of perseverance. He worked as a shipper, a tattoo artist, and then as an office worker. After a long journey of struggling with many jobs, the young man decided to stop and think to find a job that could convey his emotions and thoughts in the flow of life. He learned to crochet, draw... then the traditional hand embroidery work captivated and held him back without him even realizing it. In the early days, his clumsy and stiff hands made him struggle with each stitch. His biceps and shoulders were always in a state of pain. Having to take them apart and embroider again was also normal... With passion, the young craftsman skillfully handled each stitch without realizing it.

Khiem's mother is the one who encourages and motivates him to pursue his passion.

He learned by himself through many sources, spent hours watching instructional videos , researching traditional embroidery and foreign documents. Then he created a new technique so that the painting is not just a product but a work of art. After many experiments, felt is the main material for him to start his creative journey. For him, adjusting and stretching the thread evenly and beautifully is the most important step and requires the most concentration and skill.

With a relaxed soul and love for nature, Khiem brings to the viewer a multi-dimensional view, sometimes deep and gentle, sometimes strong and passionate. And it is also Khiem's talented hands that have woven a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh . The work was completed on the occasion of Uncle Ho's birthday in 2023, and is considered to be as vivid as a 3D painting, moving many people when admiring it.

Having become involved in painting, he is still fascinated day and night with every needle and thread. Nhat Khiem wants to conquer something new, so he has experimented with embroidering on dry leaves and leaf bones. “Embroidering on this material is quite difficult because the surface of the leaves or leaf bones are very easy to tear and cannot be stretched on a frame. Therefore, when embroidering, you have to be meticulous and have calculations so as not to cause much damage to the leaf surface while still maintaining the composition of the painting,” Mr. Khiem revealed.

The image of a bird embroidered on a dry leaf with many layers of thread overlapping each other, each layer of blocks, lines, composition, deep color blocks, gentle and delicate changes of hot and cold. The painting has a rustic and simple feel. Nhat Khiem meticulously and carefully conveys his burning passion through each stitch with perseverance to share with the viewer.

Put your soul into the painting

For Nhat Khiem, each work is a story, a creative challenge. Not just needlework, each embroidery also hides a rustic, simple beauty and sincere, warm humanity. He wants people to remember his products for their meticulousness, care and dedication, not for hastily made items. Sometimes he accepts to refuse simple orders to invest time in works with artistic depth.

Over 3 years, Nhat Khiem has completed more than 60 works made entirely by hand. Every day, he works diligently from 10 to 12 hours. To create a painting, he sometimes has to spend months, choosing each type of suitable colored thread, skillfully using each needle to create color blocks to express the space of the painting. The young man takes advantage of social networks to spread his passion and introduce his products to a large number of art lovers at home and abroad. The lion painting embroidered on the Bodhi leaf bone was completed in 10 days. When posted on social networks, this work received a series of compliments from everyone.

Images of landscapes, villages, and nature are depicted in his paintings.

He shared that it is not easy to bring soul into a painting. Each painting is combined with thousands of needles with all kinds of embroidery threads to describe the details, to bring out the spirit, personality, and unique features of the character in the painting. For portraits, Khiem does not embroider vertically or horizontally in the traditional style, but follows the lines of the character's face. Many people are willing to spend a large amount of money to own special works bearing his personal mark. This profession has brought his family a stable income, improving their quality of life.

Mr. Nhat Khiem experiments with embroidery on dry leaves and leaf bones.

Hand-embroidered products are very picky about customers, but machines and technology cannot convey emotions and spirit into each painting. He truly loves his job and does it with all his respect. Each embroidery stitch helps him practice patience, concentration and self-study spirit every day. This is also the way he paints his dreams, opens up a new rhythm of life, new relationships, new experiences and a deeper perspective on life. He always wants to share his experiences, spread his hand-embroidering knowledge to more people so that they can learn together, relax and preserve the beauty of the long-standing traditional profession.

In recent times, the local government has continuously promoted propaganda and mobilized people to preserve and promote traditional crafts as well as the cultural identity of ethnic groups. However, very few young people have the passion and determination to stick with embroidery like Mr. Nguyen Nhat Khiem. This is a meaningful job, helping to generate income and preserve traditional cultural values that are gradually fading away.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/chang-trai-voi-biet-tai-theu-tranh-tren-la-post1764123.tpo