Having traveled across various provinces in the country to paint murals, perhaps the deep connection with Hue compelled Nguyen Van Tien (30 years old, residing in Kim Long Ward, Hue City) to settle in Hue to pursue his artistic dreams.

In 2018, Tien graduated from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Sciences, Hue University. However, his passion for painting led the native of Dak Lak to choose colors and brushes as a career. His footsteps have marked many places, from big cities to rural areas and mountainous regions.

Nevertheless, despite traveling everywhere, whether north or south, the young artist still found Hue to be the most suitable place to settle down. Tien shared that Hue attracts him not only with its cultural sediments and rich cuisine. He loves the beauty of nature in this land, the green of the trees everywhere, and the friendly people. That is why he chose Hue as his second hometown.

Da Vien Bridge shimmering in the rainy night

Tien's fate with rock painting came very coincidentally from an order of a foreign friend. His paintings of wild animals quickly became popular with many people. Thus, the bond was formed. Tien says that most foreign customers love paintings of animals like dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, winged ants, and frogs. Meanwhile, domestic customers prefer drawings of pets like dogs and cats. The 2D and 3D images are vividly drawn by Tien, with harmonious colors, making each rock painting a unique and exclusive product.

For simple market paintings on rocks, Tien usually spends a few hours to complete. For creative works, he invests more time. He not only goes on-site to gather materials and inspiration but also thinks differently to depict familiar scenes in the most impressive way.

On rocks of various sizes, the serene and profound Hue is emotionally recreated by Tien with strong and powerful brushstrokes. These include Khai Dinh tomb shrouded in white mist in the early morning like a fairy tale castle, the mysterious and impressive architecture of the ancient capital under the dim night lights, and the peaceful morning scene by the sunny veranda. For Tien, no matter how many times he has seen or painted certain scenes, he always finds them new and endlessly captivating.

2. Nearly 5 years of pursuing rock painting, Tien cannot remember how many portraits he has drawn on rocks. Compared to 2D and 3D paintings of landscapes and animals, portrait painting is more challenging because it requires capturing the character's spirit on the rugged material. The small display space, sometimes each person is only as big as a fingertip, requires meticulousness and precision. Tien usually takes 1 to 2 days to complete a portrait on a rock. The more people in the painting, the more time it takes.

Pet paintings on rocks

Every customer who comes to Tien carries their own story. Some want him to paint portraits to mark memorable stages in life, such as celebrating years of love or wedding anniversaries, to commemorate the happy times they have shared. Others want to paint portraits of their loved ones to gift them on special occasions. The portraits on rocks are often recreated from photographs, depicting the moments they find most beautiful and radiant.

The backgrounds of the portraits are also diverse. Some want to add scenes from their birthplace or merge landmarks that hold significant memories for them. It could be places they wished to visit but never had the chance, or places they visited but couldn't capture together in a photo.

In his career, Tien always remembers the 12 portraits a mother wanted him to paint to capture her son's changes over 12 months. It was a gift she gave her son on his first birthday ceremony, preserving his most adorable moments. A young man ordered a painting a month in advance as a wedding gift for his friend. Driving from Saigon to Hue to attend the wedding, he was overwhelmed with emotions when receiving the carefully prepared painting.

Artist Nguyen Van Tien said that many couples choose to have their wedding photos painted on rocks to preserve those beautiful moments, as if to convey that their bond will last and be as strong as the rocks, unchanged through rain, sun, and storms.

Feeling the love and appreciation from the gifts he creates; artist Nguyen Van Tien puts his heart into every brushstroke. He wants to convey all the love and appreciation into his artworks. Every day, in his home in Kim Long, the rocks join the young artist in telling beautiful stories.