Here’s a wonderful craft…hard to believe…
BY LOUISE BEVAN
In crafting intricate flowers and succulents from clay, a Vietnam-based artist experiences an unspeakable joy that delights her followers as much as it brings her peace.
Clay artist Trang Hamapas claims life was “boring” before she found her passion. The young artist crafts her clay creations with unbelievable attention to detail.
From perfectly rounded leaves to paper-thin petals browning at the tips, Trang’s art is an optical illusion of the highest order. To top it off, her creations look so real that you’d be forgiven for thinking Mother Nature grew them herself.
Two years ago, Trang, of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, was searching for inspiration when she found an article about a flower made from clay.
Sharing her story with the Vietnamese online foodie community, Esheep Kitchen Family, during their March Challenge 2021, Trang said: “Looking at its soft beauty, bright colors—no different from real flowers—it made me fall in love, deep.
“I searched on the internet to find out about this material, and the more I searched, the more I became infatuated with it.”
The 2021 community campaign, “The Sun in Me” challenge, was organized by the Esheep Kitchen Family group under the sponsorship of UN Women in Vietnam.
Trang took inspiration from Pinterest and YouTube tutorials, buying the materials she needed to try the technique herself. She started with small succulents and simple flowers, gradually progressing to larger and more complex arrangements.
“There were days when I stayed up until 2 or 3 a.m. just because I was fiddling with the clay flowers,” she said.
Posting her creations on her Facebook page, Happy Handmade, Trang gained a following, none of whom could fathom that the flowers were fake. Trang was delighted.
Finding her passion, said Trang, has brought many benefits. She now lives optimistically with less stress and more love for life, nature, and people. She avoids idle thoughts and has cultivated patience.
She has improved her observation and time-management skills, and has a stronger appetite for aesthetics. Perhaps most importantly of all, Trang’s hobby allows her to be more social and connect with her loved ones.
“Before … I was quite shy,” she wrote in her post. “Once you’ve found a passion that’s healthy and suitable for your abilities, just start implementing it right away! Because if you keep waiting and procrastinating, you may not have the opportunity anymore.”
Speaking to The Epoch Times via social media, Trang claimed her husband often jokes that she must “choose clay or him,” owing to her devotion. “If you are a good husband, you won’t force me to choose, because both are important to me,” she jokes in reply.
In reality, her husband has been her right-hand man since the day they fell in love.
Supportive of Trang’s time-consuming hobby, he even takes his wife outside to snap photos of her handiwork whenever she has finished a piece.
Since gaining a wider audience, Trang is overjoyed that her art brings happiness to people from all walks of life.
While working with the Esheep Kitchen Family, Trang was even privy to some personal stories from followers who have overcome adversity.
“Every post I read brings tears to my eyes,” Trang wrote. “Especially the strength and resilience of patients with cancer; I have not missed a single story, and I have cried every time.”
“Love more,” she said. “Cherish every second of living in this beautiful world. Kindness always appears around us.”
Check out more of Trang’s selected artwork below. Enjoy!
