China News Service, Changchun, September 25 (Li Dan) A plate of paint, a few brushes, and a pebble were given new life and turned into a work of art under Zhao Na's careful outline and description.
Relying on a pair of skillful hands, the "post-80s" hearing-impaired girl Zhao Na and her husband Qin Dayong, who is also deaf, started their own business. The couple runs a hand-painting workshop in Changchun, Jilin.
Over the years, they have used tens of thousands of stones to paint a "sound and colorful" world.
Stone paintings by Zhao Na.
Photo by Li Dan
Zhao Na and Qin Dayong both graduated from the Special Education College of Changchun University, one majoring in oil painting and the other majoring in art design.
Both lost their hearing as a result of inadvertent drug use in infancy.
The quiet world made Zhao Na fall in love with painting since she was a child. In 2002, Zhao Na entered the Changchun School for the Deaf and Mute to study oil painting. Qin Dayong, who also studied in the School for the Deaf and Mute, often tutored Zhao Na, who was a late student, in cultural lessons. They fell in love with each other. After graduation, they chose to study at the same university. In 2011, they entered the marriage hall.
The relationship with stone painting began in 2015. Zhao Na accidentally discovered on the Internet that small stones can draw exquisite patterns, which made her very fascinated.
So Qin Dayong and his mother went to the park to pick up some stones and returned, and Zhao Na began to try painting.
The texture and shape of each stone are different. Through continuous learning and practice, she gradually mastered the skills of detail description and color transition.
"The first time I set up a street stall, I sold more than 700 yuan in one day!" Recalling the experience of selling stone paintings for the first time, the couple was immersed in happy memories, Qin Dayong told reporters with a writing pad, "I didn't expect stone paintings to be so popular. Welcome, and later we opened a store online, and rented a mobile sales car in Changchun Bashu Yingxiangfeng Street to sell stone paintings."
Stone paintings by Zhao Na.
Photo by Li Dan
In 2017, with the help of the Jilin Disabled Persons' Federation and relevant departments, the couple opened the current hand-painting workshop in the Changchun shopping mall.
In order to save costs, the couple took advantage of the opportunity to visit their grandparents in Dalian every year to go to the beach to pick up stones.
As the skills matured, the store's business gradually improved.
The husband and wife have a clear division of labor. Qin Dayong is responsible for polishing the stone and designing the sketches, while Zhao Na is responsible for composing and coloring the stone and carefully crafting it.
Today, in Zhao Na's hand-painted workshop, there are a dazzling array of stone paintings of various colors, including animals, plants, landscapes, figures, as well as various literary and fresh small ornaments.
In addition to selling stone paintings, Zhao Na will also set up handicraft experience projects for children.
More and more customers are looking for Zhao Na's custom stone paintings, and the couple will also receive large orders from companies to customize birthday gifts for employees.
When I get busy, I have to catch more than 10 orders a day.
There are two writing boards in Zhao Na's store, and communication with customers is done through writing boards.
Zhao Na and Qin Dayong use their dexterous hands to use stones as paper, and touch stones into paintings.
The business items of the store have also increased from a single stone painting to wall painting and decorative painting.
Zhao Na wrote down her feelings about life on the writing board.
Photo by Li Dan
The 4th Sunday in September is the International Day of the Deaf. The world of the deaf is like a silent movie without subtitles. The hand of fate has pressed the mute button for them.
Zhao Na and Qin Dayong interpret the beauty of life with their own efforts. They have an 8-year-old daughter who is healthy and has normal hearing. She is good at playing the violin. Whenever her daughter plays, the couple cannot hear the sound. The two always had an intoxicated smile.
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