The lady who weaves butterflies in paintings

She is Vu Thi Nguyet Anh, owner of the Anh Kim butterfly painting unit at 16/2 Tan Vuong, Loc Chau commune, Bao Loc city, Lam Dong province (the second city of Lam Dong besides Dalat city). The girl in her unfortunate fate, but with firm energy to rise, has found joy in life next to the colorful butterflies, and with such a strong will she has been elected Chairperson of the Handicap Association of Bao Loc city.

Butterflies are born, grow up and then die in a short time, so why not look for ways to keep their colorful wings?

At the early age when she went to school, Anh did not have any chance to play and have fun like her schoolmates; instead, she would sit quietly watching the butterflies fluttering their wings over the flowers, and gradually she grasped the rules of butterfly survival. Since then, it has dawned upon her that: “Butterflies are born, grow up and then die in a short time, so why not look for ways to keep their colorful wings?”. The idea worked as a prelude to her dream of making butterfly paintings as a ca. And, paintings assembled from dried butterflies were gradually released through Nguyet Anh’s skillful hands. Her parents’ house has become the exhibition room for butterfly paintings, and many members of the family have suddenly become her employees so she could have sufficient time to focus on her creativity.

Every picture is a harmonious combination between art and nature, between man and time…

After more than 10 years of start-up (from 2000 until now), her unit has produced thousands of butterfly paintings of various kinds. Although rustic, her paintings are imbrued with unique characteristics from true natural colors: There are paintings of various butterflies connecting wings to fly, or a forest n autumn, or paintings of a winter fire with a lone person walking in the wind and rain; there are also paintings of young girls playing, then the nude paintings, a portrait of an unhappy woman crying, a young couple dating, or stories from fairy tales… She says: “Every picture is a harmonious combination between art and nature, between man and time…” Every time we visit her painting facility, we do see the thrill of a natural space full of butterflies and flowers: butterflies in the house, in the glass window, on the window sills and a vivid butterfly garden with over 50 different species. She reveals: “every time go to the butterfly garden and watch butterflies fluttering over the leaves and flower buds, l realize how lovely life is!”

Anh Kim butterfly paintings appeared in the market since 2000 and has since received admiration and appreciation of many domestic and international tourists. Anh has many times brought her paintings to fairs, exhibitions and has won several awards of these the most prestigious award is the Vietnam’s Quintessence in 2005.

Beside the passion with butterfly paintings, as vice chairwoman of Lam Dong Province Handicap Associatio CUM Chairperson of Bao Loc Handicap Association, she endeavors to better herself in life, creates more job opportunities for many local workers and actively participates in activities for the handicap.

Her butterfly painting workshop for many years has been an address for tourists on their sightseeing tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat. In addition, her butterfly paintings also appear in souvenir shops in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City… to “take off” further and beyond.

By Bao Nhi

handicraft