Dinh Quang Hai (45 years old) pen name Hai Tre because he was born and raised on Hang Tre street, Hanoi. There was a time when he was a boy who was fascinated by watching artists sketching on all 36 streets. Time passed, the sketchers were no longer around, he was also absorbed in work and money like everyone else. Then suddenly one day he realized that he was an artist and had to return to painting, the streets were the materials that "painted" him.
Hang Bong Street, Hanoi
Born in the city, drawing on the street
Hai Tre studied lacquer painting at the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts. He has had time to experience all fields of work. But he has a strong love for watercolor painting and people and street corners.
"Those experiences are the invisible colors that I bring into each painting, creating a unique quality in the painting," the male artist confided.
Artist Hai Tre paints on the street
The artist grew up loving the scenes of everyday life. The simplest, most rustic things, like drawing while sipping a cool drink and chatting with curious, admiring children around him. And now he returns to his love of drawing the streets, as a successor to the love of the streets that previous generations of artists have passed down.
Painter Hai Tre shared that in the past, the corner of Hang Tre Street was the street corner where many artists came to sit and paint, including Mr. Bui Xuan Phai and Mr. Le Cuu. The corners of Hang Tre, Hang Mam, and Hang Muoi streets today still preserve many paintings by the artists of that time.
Hang Voi painting, Hanoi
Not only stopping from the perspective of an artist, Hai Tre also paints the streets from the perspective of a nature observer. For him, each painting does not specifically depict a portrait but a landscape painting must have human activities. With the concept, the streets where people live and work are also a part of nature.
Nature and people are always the inspiration and endless subject for artists. For Hai Tre, every place he visits is not only about creating paintings but also about enjoying delicious food and discovering local customs and culture.
Nguyen Gia Thieu Street, Hanoi
Return to the painting journey with "Draw - Walk - Bamboo"
To mark the first project in his painting career, Hai Tre released “Drawing to Bamboo” in 2020. His “Drawing to Bamboo” is a journey of drawing, traveling and pursuing his own passion. It is like a constant reminder to those around him and himself: “Draw to Bamboo!”.
"Drawing Bamboo" was created by the male artist in all over the country. Artist Dinh Quang Hai's paintings mainly depict street scenes and people with the simplest and most realistic strokes.
"An artist has both hands and feet, so he has to travel to be able to paint," the humorous artist shared.
Cai Rang Floating Market, Can Tho
Watercolor painting in Hoi An
Returning to painting when the economy was stable, artist Hai Tre devoted all his mind to painting to the best of his ability without any idea of selling or commercial purposes. Each painting he created was shared on social networks with stories from every moment and sometimes met with the vibration and love of the audience.
At the end of 2021, the male artist compiled his paintings of Hanoi to produce a calendar to welcome the new year 2022. The calendar can be used to hang on the wall, framed for decoration or given as a gift at the beginning of the year, especially for those who are far away and miss Hanoi.
Hanoi calendar by artist Hai Tre
It can be said that this is a diary with a persistent brush of artist Hai Tre over the years, capturing the most beautiful moments of Hanoi at all times, all places, all seasons, all moments of the day... All encapsulated like a film to help readers visualize a sparkling but simple and ancient Hanoi.
With his love and passion for painting, Dinh Quang Hai always plans out many plans for his journey. He does not go out and paint when he is inspired, but collects the smallest things, recording every moment in watercolor paintings.
Panorama of Da Nang
In painting, materials are just a means to convey the artist's visual language. But on the other hand, each material has a different personality.
"For me, there is nothing more wonderful than feeling every step on new roads, communicating with people around with lots of smiles and bursting into tears before the majestic scenery of nature...", artist Hai Tre shared.
Cat Cat Village, Sa Pa, Lao Cai
