Hanoi in oil paint strokes

At BRUSH Studio, nestled in a modest creative space in a small alley on Ao Nghe street, West lake, painting becomes a universal language, helping young people from various countries connect with Hanoi in their own unique ways.

From feeling "lost" to a shared creative space

BRUSH Studio was founded in 2022 by Marta, a Russian artist who has lived in Vietnam for many years. The idea for the studio stemmed from her personal experiences in seeking a creative community in Hanoi.

Artist Marta – Founder of BRUSH Studio.

For Marta, attending previous art workshops often felt like being a "passerby". Many classes were limited to a single experience session, lacking long-term connections among participants. Often, she was the only foreigner in the class.

"Everyone was very friendly, but sometimes I still felt like I wasn't truly part of the group," Marta shared.

From that sense of loneliness, the young woman aspired to create a space where expatriates could find harmony – a place not just to learn painting but to connect, share, and find a sense of belonging through art. For Marta, West lake was the most natural choice to begin this journey.

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As a hub for the expatriate community, West lake embodies a blend of modernity and local identity, familiar enough to open up, yet foreign enough to spark creative inspiration. The quiet alley on Ao Nghe street allows participants to leave behind the city's hustle and bustle, easily connecting with themselves and with strangers, even on first meetings. For the Russian artist, the scenery here is a wonderful visual inspiration for painting.

Thus, West Lake becomes a gentle bridge between people and art: A backdrop that makes expatriates feel at home, helping them start their journey of exploring Hanoi with a more open heart. In this space, BRUSH Studio opens its doors as a peaceful rendezvous, embracing expatriates where each finds a part of themselves in the shared art story.

Oil painting – A medium connecting emotions and cultures

Unlike many typical workshops in Hanoi that favor acrylic for its convenience, BRUSH Studio chooses oil painting as an artistic and cultural statement. Oil paint is a traditional medium, rich in depth and requiring patience, much like how people need time to understand a new culture.

Marta shares that oil painting is not just a technique but also a cultural memory from her birch homeland. Bringing this medium to Hanoi is her way of blending a part of her identity into the local cultural life.

"Oil paint is very flexible, very free. In Asia, it's not as popular as in Europe, so I want to introduce it to those who have never tried it," she emphasized.

At BRUSH Studio, most students are expatriates living and working in Hanoi. They become familiar with the palette, solvents, and unique textures of oil paint. The slow-drying layers and challenging brushstrokes require the artist to slow down, observe more closely, and listen more – not just to themselves but to the "breath" of the place they live. In this process, painting becomes a cultural exchange journey: Where expatriates no longer stand outside observing Hanoi but truly step into the city's rhythm with focus and personal perception.

Additionally, the workshops uniquely incorporate Vietnamese culture into each creative theme. Familiar images like Hanoi's banh mi, West lake sunsets, lotus flowers, old streets, or everyday life become materials to tell the story of Vietnamese identity. The paintings thus become not just art products but vivid testimonies of cultural encounters. In those moments, painting becomes a steadfast bridge connecting Hanoi with international friends.

Through the lens of oil paint, Hanoi is not just "seen" as a tourist destination but "touched" with emotion – where each student brings their life experiences to dialogue with the local culture.

Oil paintings by students inspired by Hanoi's culture.

"Touching" Hanoi through colors

Each workshop at BRUSH Studio is not only a painting class but also a journey to explore the capital in each participant's unique way. Instead of experiencing Hanoi through familiar tourist routes, they explore it through palettes, the smell of paint, and stories told throughout the session.

There, Hanoi is no longer just a place on the map but a vibrant experience that touches the senses.

Participants seem to live slower, observing a very ordinary moment for a long time: The thin smoke rising from a bowl of pho, the shimmering water as the sun sets over West lake, or the old roofs peeking through small street corners. Each brushstroke on the canvas is like a direct encounter with Hanoi – gentle, yet deep enough to imprint a unique emotion in the artist's mind.

Through the journey of exploring Hanoi through art, painting is no longer about technique but becomes a way for expatriates to understand more about the city they live in. They not only "see" Hanoi but truly "touch" it through colors. Hanoi steps out of the confines of a tourist destination, becoming a part of vivid memory, preserved through painting in each participant's mind.

This feeling becomes even more apparent in workshops focused on iconic images of Hanoi. At a recent pho painting class, Ree, an international student, shared that this experience allowed her to "delve deeper" into Vietnamese culture, more than typical tours: "I feel like I'm not just enjoying Vietnamese culture through cuisine but also through art. Painting pho makes me understand it differently – slower, deeper, and closer."

Workshops attract many international students.

However, the journey to preserve and spread oil painting art in Hanoi is not easy, with high costs, specialized tools, and the need for a spacious environment. Yet, Marta remains steadfast, viewing these challenges as opportunities to be more creative, finding new ways to connect people through colors. The student community changes with the seasons, but each class, whether small or large, becomes a bonding moment where art transcends technique to become a cultural bridge.

Notably, the Russian artist is also planning to expand workshops outdoors around West Lake, turning painting sessions into direct experiences with Hanoi's nature and life, allowing Vietnamese and international friends to meet, share, and feel the city's rhythm through each brushstroke. For her, tradition truly "lives" when retold in a modern breath, through stories, experiences, and the people involved.

Amidst the vibrant layers of color in the small lakeside room, BRUSH Studio's Oil Painting Workshop quietly lights up a cultural bridge. Each completed painting is not just an art piece but a fragment of Hanoi's memory, preserved through the eyes of young people from around the world. BRUSH Studio not only "holds hands" to teach painting but also teaches how to perceive culture, helping expatriates find a "home" in the heart of the capital.

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