With their talented hands, Ms. Tran Thi Ha and Nguyen Thi Hien at Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company were honored as handicraft artisans of Hai Duong province in 2024.
Fate with ceramics
Ms. Ha and Ms. Hien (both born in 1986) are the two youngest artisans among the nine artisans who have just been awarded the title of handicraft artisan in 2024 by the People's Committee of Hai Duong province. The opportunity that brought them to be attached to and passionate about the profession of painting and decorating on ceramics and porcelain was also by chance.
Ms. Ha said that when she was still in school, she was very interested in fine arts. After getting married, with the encouragement and guidance of her relatives, in 2007 she applied for a job at Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company. At first, she encountered many difficulties and spent a lot of time practicing drawing on paper. Not only practicing drawing in the workshop, when returning home, despite being busy with her family and young children, Ms. Ha always arranged time to diligently practice each stroke.
Ms. Hien was born and raised in Lang Giang district (Bac Giang). After getting married, she followed her husband to Thai Tan commune (Nam Sach) to live and decided to pursue and stick with the profession of ceramic and porcelain painting.
At first, despite many difficulties and confusion when getting used to the profession, Ms. Hien and Ms. Ha never thought of giving up. Because from the drawings, the love and passion for ceramics became the motivation, urging them to overcome difficulties, contributing to preserving the traditional profession.
Effort to contribute
Creating beautiful works on ceramics and porcelain requires skill, concentration and sophistication in every line. The process of painting on ceramics and porcelain not only shows aesthetics but also shows the talent, creativity and skillful hands of the craftsman. Painting on curved and uneven surfaces is not simple, requiring the craftsman to adapt to the shape and texture of the product surface to create precise lines and details.
Ms. Hien said: “Practicing drawing on paper and starting to draw on ceramics are really very different. When drawing on ceramics, the craftsman must use the pen gently, making small and elegant strokes. This requires perseverance, meticulousness and high concentration. Each craftsman has different strokes, each with its own mark. At first, there were times when I spent the whole session drawing but then had to erase and wipe it away because it was not good enough. Each time like that, I tried harder, telling myself to persevere and devote myself to creating satisfactory products.”
Not only learning from her teachers, Ms. Hien also actively learns and improves from her colleagues and artisans of the company. Some of the products that Ms. Hien directly painted and decorated have been recognized, such as: the Giáng hương vase and the Thiên Ngà vase, both of which are typical rural industrial products at the provincial level in 2020, the Phú Quý vase with embossed Lý Ngư vọng Nguyệt, painted in gold, is a typical rural industrial product at the provincial level in 2018.
For Ms. Ha, to become a good worker requires not only skills but also constant creativity. Therefore, every time the company organizes field trips, Ms. Ha considers this a valuable opportunity to observe, generate creative ideas to apply to the production process, create new motifs, patterns, and products.
Ms. Ha has won many awards in the excellent worker competitions organized by Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company. Many products that Ms. Ha directly painted and decorated have won awards and been recognized, such as: Dai Cat vase is a typical rural industrial product at the provincial level in 2023, Giot Ngoc vase is a typical rural industrial product at the regional level in 2022, Phuong Hoang S1 vase is a typical rural industrial product at the national level in 2019...
Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Production Workshop Manager (Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company) said: “Ms. Hien and Ms. Ha are young artisans, well-trained, capable, and highly skilled. These are also individuals who regularly contribute ideas and are creative in the production process to create quality products with diverse forms and designs, meeting the tastes of customers”.
When being awarded the title of handicraft artisan, Ms. Hien and Ms. Ha were both very honored and proud. But along with that, they tried even harder to improve their responsibility, be more creative, and contribute to preserving and promoting the traditional craft of their homeland.
HUYEN TRANG