Vietnam is a land of rice, where grain plays an integral role in people’s daily lives, forming a staple part of their diet. However, rice isn’t merely restricted to nourishing the body; it has also transcended into the realm of art through a unique and mesmerizing form – rice painting and now it appears through Rice Painting Workshops at VLS.
In recent years, rice paintings have gained popularity among art enthusiasts, thanks to their distinctiveness and captivating beauty. These remarkable artworks are crafted entirely from rice, showcasing the meticulous skill and creativity of the artists. To create intricate details and colors, artists must carefully select the type of rice and roast or dry it, resulting in a diverse and long-lasting palette of natural shades.
The rising popularity of rice painting is not only a testament to its artistic allure but also its resonance with tourists seeking unique souvenirs. Tourists are drawn to these artworks as they encapsulate the essence of their Vietnamese experience while being reasonably priced. Rice paintings symbolize not just the nation’s culinary heritage but also its thriving agricultural industry, with Vietnam being the second-largest rice exporter globally.
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The Rice Painting Process: A Labor of Love
Creating a rice painting is a meticulous and time-consuming process that requires patience and precision. The process begins with selecting the right type of rice – ordinary rice for fine details, sticky rice for broader strokes, and broken rice for smoother textures.
After selecting the rice, it undergoes a delicate roasting process to achieve various colors. Artists skillfully manipulate the flame to create a range of shades, ensuring the rice doesn’t burn or crack. The roasting process can take up to six hours, producing grains in hues like black, white, brown, pale ivory, and yellow.
Once the rice is prepared, artists sketch the painting’s outline on a wooden block before meticulously arranging and grafting the rice grains onto the canvas. This laborious process ensures that each grain is strategically placed to produce stunning effects of light and shade, giving the artwork a remarkable three-dimensional appearance.
After the grains are in place, an adhesive layer is applied to fix them securely on the canvas. The painting is then left to dry under the sun for several days, allowing the rice to adhere firmly to the wooden frame. To preserve the colors and protect against mold and termites, a varnish treatment and chemical coating are applied.
Join VLS Rice Painting Workshops
The Rice Painting Workshops are designed to be fun, interactive, and informative. Participants had the chance to learn about the origins and making process of rice painting while getting hands-on experience crafting their own beautiful painting. The workshops offer flexibility in terms of dates and locations to accommodate various schedules and preferences.
| Event | 2023 Fundraising Rice Painting Workshops |
| Fee | 450,000 VND/painting*𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑉𝐿𝑆 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑑, 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 2023 𝑀𝑖𝑑-𝐴𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝. |
| RSVP | LINK |
| Donate | Of course, I’d love to help. |
The Rice Painting Workshop is one of the meaningful activities in the 2023 Mid-Autumn Charity Program’s fundraising plan, organized by VLS, along with the Lantern Making Workshop, Mooncake Workshop, and Charity Music Show. The Mid-Autumn Charity Program is an annual event where VLS collaborates with partners, clients, and donors to create positive impacts for the community, while also bringing people together for worthy causes.
This September, we will host our Charity Trip in Cluster 5, Hamlet 3, Mã Đà Commune, Vĩnh Cửu District, Đồng Nai Province. This area is home to 50 Vietnamese families that returned from Tonle Sap, Cambodia, and are now living in extreme poverty. They don’t have access to adequate health care and clean water. Children are deprived of educational opportunities. Accustomed to the fishing profession, their current livelihood mainly relies on catching fish in Trị An Lake or unstable incomes from low-paying jobs.
With a limited amount of income and no property ownership, multiple generations have to live in the same temporary shelters where surrounding areas are polluted with trash and waste. Other more unfortunate families have to live in frail boathouses along the shores of Trị An Lake.
Our 2023 Mid-Autumn Charity Program aims to improve the living conditions of the residents in the hamlet. Aside from hosting the Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration and giving holiday gifts to about 100 children, we will also install a water filtration system to provide clean water, improving community hygiene and health. As many families with small children and seniors live near or on water, they are constantly exposed to dangers. Hence, we will also install solar street lights throughout the neighborhood, ensuring everyone’s safety.
To bring these wonderful experiences to life, we warmly invite you to join us in these workshops. It’s a fantastic chance to immerse yourself in Vietnamese culture and arts, all while spreading joy to the residents and children of Block 5, Hamlet 3. We are looking forward to seeing you!
