VietNamNet Bridge – For many carpenters, leftover pieces of wood are junk. But for Nguyễn Văn Viện, they are fortune. From scraps of wood, he created a new style of painting which brought him personal fame and enriched the landscape of Vietnamese fine art.

Meticulous maker: After sketching his idea on paper, he produces a base for the sculpture from roots. Then he carefully grafts thousands of small wooden pieces into a painting.

Viện was born in 1957 and raised in Khúc Toại Village, known for carpentry, in the northern province of Bắc Ninh.

When he was little, the only toys he had were broken pieces of wood left over from carpenters' work. Growing up, he acquainted himself with tools and turned the leftovers into simple toys for his younger sisters and brothers.

One day in 1975, he noticed many tree roots drifting on the Ngũ Huyện Khê River in the flood season. Although no one else seemed to notice them, he felt that the products - with their vivid colours and unique shapes and fragrances - were going to waste.

He didn't want to waste the roots on making simple toys for children. Instead, he nurtured the dream of making art from them. It took one year to produce his first wood collage. Although the work was a bit awkward-looking, Viện received much applause for his creation.

"Wood from roots is different from that which comes from the trunk because its colours are diverse, while wood from the trunk is only one colour," Viện said. "The root also has beautiful curved wood fibres."

Natural beauty:Artisan Nguyễn Văn Viện and one among his artworks made from roots, which mostly feature landscape and peoples activities.

Viện passed the entrance exam to the Hà Nội College of Fine Arts, but due to his family's poverty, he had to drop out after one year to serve in the army. He then returned to his favourite pastime.

He wanted to make a portrait of the late President Hồ Chí Minh from roots - a difficult task for an apprentice. Undeterred, Viện spent the days earning money and studied fine arts at night.

"I spent many sleepless nights trying to portray Uncle Hồ and finished the 40cm by 50cm collage after two months," he said. "My happiness turned to tears when my dream came true. It was my first successful artwork."

Even though he got substantial offers for the portrait - as much as a motorbike - he didn't sell it, instead viewing the work as a precious heirloom.

Making a wood picture is not easy, the artist said. First, he selects tree roots with beautiful colours and categorizes them. Although he uses a little paint here and there for special effect, most of the colours in his mosaics come from the natural pigment in the roots.  

After sketching his idea on paper, he produces a base for the picture from roots. Then comes the most important step: grafting thousands of small wooden pieces into a picture.

"A collage may contain thousands of pieces, but it should be smooth and shiny like lacquer so no one can see the lines between pieces," he said.

The pictures made by Viện feature diverse images, from the countryside's landscape and rural markets to the old streets of Hà Nội.
 

All hands on deck: Workers at Việns Sơn Đông Woodcraft Company, which ships his unique wooden mosaics around the world.

After years of work, in 1987, he was awarded the title "Artisan with Golden Hands" by the Việt Nam Union of Handicraft Co-operatives.

At present his wooden paintings are not only sold in big cities such as Hà Nội, Hải Phòng and HCM City, but are also exported to Thailand, Canada, the US and Eastern Europe. Viện also established Sơn Đông Woodcraft Company, which ships his unique wooden mosaics around the world.

Looking back at his humble beginnings, the artist says it was all possible because he found a use for something other people only used to fire up their stove.

"I collect wood pieces that other carpenters think is waste or rubbish. To me, it is valuable," he said.

Source: VNS