1. In the past few years, the Gia Lai female artists group with nearly 20 members regularly organizes meetings on the occasion of large and small events. The person considered the "spiritual leader" of the group is female artist Ho Thi Xuan Thu.

Not only pouring her energy into her work with the determination to always renew herself, artist Xuan Thu also spends time connecting with female painters in the province, mostly young people, and encouraging them to work creatively. At the end of October 2023, she stood up to organize the exhibition "Back to the Red Land" in Pleiku City.

Since the exhibition, some people who had put their paintbrushes on the shelf for 5 years due to family matters have found their creative inspiration again. Many young female artists choose her as someone to share and exchange ideas or concerns when pursuing the art of color.

Especially for female artists who are passionate about lacquer paintings, artist Xuan Thu is ready to guide them from the very first steps in approaching the technique of expressing this noble but also "difficult" painting style, requiring a lot of effort.

With that guidance, artist Mai Thi Kim Uyen was successful right from her first solo exhibition with the theme "Flirtatious Girls" in Ho Chi Minh City (2023) and many previous group exhibitions.

Kim Uyen expressed her gratitude: “I am extremely grateful to Ms. Xuan Thu, who has wholeheartedly passed on the difficult techniques of traditional lacquer. The experiences that sometimes take decades of work to accumulate, yet she is not afraid to share. I consider myself so lucky!”

Recently, when changing his passion from woodcut to lacquer, artist Nguyen Nguyen But also received enthusiastic support from female artist Xuan Thu. Nguyen But shared: “Making lacquer paintings is very hard but has its own appeal with unexpected effects. The more you pursue it, the more interesting it becomes.”

The bewildering journey became easier with the support of artist Xuan Thu, from encouragement to giving her the first paintings to try. Thanks to that, at the 29th Central and Central Highlands Fine Arts Exhibition in 2024, her lacquer work "Masks, Children and Po Thi Ceremony" was introduced to participate in the award of the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations in 2024.

"I didn't think I could do it, but Ms. Xuan Thu gave me a lot of creative inspiration," Nguyen But said emotionally.

Talking about working with young artists, artist Xuan Thu expressed: She appreciates their passion and serious creative spirit, so she is willing to share all their “secrets”, and is truly happy to see the younger generation become better and more professional. As someone who loves the culture of the Central Highlands like her own flesh and blood, artist Xuan Thu hopes to preserve its identity through her own works as well as through generational transmission.

She said: “I often tell my friends: Work seriously, because nothing comes naturally. When you have a work, you will have achievements and the work is the answer to the attitude of artistic work.”

2. Having lived through many ups and downs of life, accumulating a wealth of knowledge about the life and culture of many regions, including the Central Highlands, writer Pham Duc Long was trusted by a group of about 10 young writers in the mountain town, who entrusted their works to him for comments. The valuable thing is that he is always willing to support, regardless of the time.

Author Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy - who has recently become known through a number of awards at prestigious literary competitions nationwide - expressed her appreciation for writer Pham Duc Long for his selfless support for young writers.

She said: “Having spent his entire youth in the Central Highlands, Uncle Long has accumulated a lot of valuable knowledge and experience about this land. We are the next generation, so when we write about the Central Highlands and have any concerns, we always ask him to read and give us advice.”

Recently, when starting to write a novel, including a chapter about Gia Lai in the 80s of the last century, Ms. Thuy had to spend a lot of effort searching for documents and meeting many people to verify the developments in cultural and social life during this period, including writer Pham Duc Long.

Many other authors also affirmed that their works about the Central Highlands and leaving an impression on readers were all "sponsored" by veteran writers.

Author Le Vi Thuy said: “Rarely is there anyone as diligent and patient as Uncle Long. For details that were still unclear, if I asked for advice, he would read them carefully, then immediately call back to say that this and that should be corrected.”

Talking about this guidance, writer Pham Duc Long said: He was fortunate to have been exposed to life in the Central Highlands for decades. He also likes to read and learn about culture and ethnicity, so he shares anything interesting with the writers in the young writers group.

“Each person has their own writing style, no one can impose it on anyone. Personally, I can only give my opinion, and when I read it again, I see it as an opportunity to appreciate literature and learn more from you. The group loves writing, so it also gives me more motivation,” said writer Pham Duc Long.

From the joy that, as he said, “kindled a passion for writing”, both generations of writers “passed the torch” to each other. The 65-year-old writer himself seemed to be young again with his remarkable literary labor. In 2023, he won third prize in the literary composition contest on the topic of workers and trade unions jointly organized by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and the Vietnam Writers Association. He is still writing diligently and constantly “keeping an eye” on young writers to be ready to support them if needed.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/sang-tao-van-hoc-nghe-thuat-hanh-trinh-khong-don-doc-post315118.html