Compass Travel Vietnam
Meet the Western “mutant” who has a special talent for painting with his feet
Her hands are defective, but God gave Ms. Huynh Thi Xam (residing in Hau Giang province) talented feet to create many sparkling, colorful paintings.
At the 2023 Ao Ba Ba Festival held at Sen Lake (Vi Thanh City, Hau Giang), the booth of Ms. Huynh Thi Xam (46 years old, residing in Long My district) – a disabled artist with a special talent for painting with her feet – at always attracts visitors. Many people are busy looking at Ms. Xam’s feet skillfully drawing all kinds of animals, birds, flowers and grass.
Ms. Xam said that when she received notice from the organizers inviting her to the event, she was very happy to have the opportunity to introduce her products to everyone.
“I brought more than 50 works of art to the festival, including paintings and fabric bags. Tourists came to see them and even bought them to support me,” the female artist said.
Ms. Xam confided that since birth she has had a disability so she always has to have a family member take care of her. Her family is poor and has many siblings, so Ms. Xam’s journey to find literacy was very arduous and challenging.
“I really want to go to school, I want to go to school to know my children, so my parents always try to meet their children’s wishes.
At that time, there were no roads and we had to wade through very muddy fields, so my mother had to row a canoe from home to school so I could learn to read. Persevere until I was 15 years old and entered kindergarten,” Ms. Xam said.
The process of learning to write with your feet is very difficult. Cramps or swollen toes from holding a pen for too long are not uncommon, and of course Ms. Xam is no exception.
During the day, she goes to school, and at night, Ms. Xam diligently lights an oil lamp to practice writing. Even if your toes are bleeding, don’t give up. The scribbled handwriting gradually became rounder. Soon she could write her name and that of her family members.
Sharing her fate to the path of painting, Ms. Xam said that in 2004, she studied at the Vocational Training Center for the Disabled and Orphans in Ho Chi Minh City. Here, she took classes in painting, sewing, and embroidery.
In addition, at the center, she creates conditions to manage the library and teach literacy classes for people in the same situation.
Some time later, the school teacher supported her to go to university to study Sociology in Ho Chi Minh City. After 4 years of teaching, she graduated and worked at the center.
“In 2021, due to poor health, I returned home to Hau Giang to live with my mother. Since returning to my hometown, I have been painting for a living, so I also have income to cover expenses,” Ms. Xam expressed.
It is known that the theme of Ms. Xam’s compositions is mainly landscapes according to customer requests. Drawing on paper took her 2 days to complete, while drawing on a bag took a few hours.
Looking at the well-received results, Ms. Xam is grateful that life has brought her to the field of painting.
She thought: “Fate has arranged for me like that, the important thing is to live in a way that controls it. There are many people out there who are worse off and more unfortunate than me.”
Because of her positive and optimistic thinking, most of her works have bright colors. This is also the message that the disabled artist sends, no matter what the situation, we must live resiliently.
Looking at Ms. Xam’s paintings, Mr. Nguyen Van Canh (Can Tho tourist) expressed his admiration for the author.
“To have such beautiful works as they are now, Ms. Xam must have practiced hard for a very long time. Her determination is very admirable,” said the male tourist.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)
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Meet the Western “mutant” who has a special talent for painting with his feet
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