Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - A burning passion for art turned lucrative business

A burning passion for art turned lucrative business

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Artist Roeum Bunhak uses a heated metal tool to burn intricate patterns into palm leaves. Sam Walker

A burning passion for art turned lucrative business

A Siem Reap’s artist’s burned palm leaf pictures – made using an ‘iron pencil’ – have become a popular collectible for visitors

Siem Reap artist Roeum Bunhak’s “paintings” are no ordinary renditions of Cambodian landmarks and life.

Using his “iron pencil”, the 35-year-old sears images onto palm leaves with the intricacy of an accomplished pencil sketcher.

“I found it to be an art with a beautiful concept,” said Bunhak, who spent most of his life as an oil painter before moving on to palm-leaf burning.

The concept is simple: a palm leaf is glued onto a piece of plywood.

Using a tool with a metal point heated in embers, Bunhak applies his “iron pencil” onto his canvas, sketching images ranging from the temples at Angkor to personal portraits.

His work has proven lucrative – pictures can fetch up to $30 in Siem Reap souvenir shops while his three-hour palm leaf burning course for tourists costs $28.

Bunhak, who won his first art award at an UNTAC-sponsored competition way back in 1993, said that he first got the idea while living with his uncle after he was forced to close his oil-painting studio.

While helping his uncle keep house, he was always tasked with burning the rubbish. It was a chore he liked, he said, because he found it stress-relieving.

Bunhak said he began noticing fire’s artistic potential when he stared into the fire.

“I saw the burned patterns – the flames created pictures from ash,” he said.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Bunhak’s first painting sold for $0.75 but now go for up to $30. Sam Walker

At the beginning, Bunhak began experimenting with his uncle’s iron tools. He had limited success until he perfected the size of the iron pencil.

“I imagined burning an entire Angkor Wat picture onto a piece of palm leaf board using miniature iron pencils,” he said.

“It took a whole day to finish one because I didn’t have enough material, but it showed a wonderful picture of Angkor Wat.”

Bunhak sold his first burnt painting in 2007 to the Cambodian Cultural Village recreation centre for a mere $0.75.

He still hadn’t perfected his craft, he added, and was tempted to quit.

“I wanted to quit my job at that time, because it didn’t make money and wasted a lot of time, but I decided to stick with my own creativity to make it successful.”

Today, he can make up to $200 a day in addition to what he earns by teaching eight people in classes for tourists.

“After they practise with me, they always give good feedback to me – that this is the perfect and only one [palm burning class] in the world,” he said, adding that although he was happy at his work, he sometimes doesn’t have time to eat even a quick meal of rice.

Hopefully, he added, he can move beyond painting and become a local leader in the Cambodian art scene by opening a gallery of his own.

“I hope in the future I can have my own following or gallery to preserve this original product and contribute my knowledge to orphans before I die,” said Bunhak.

Bunhak’s palm leaf burnings can be purchased at the Angkor Handicraft Association on Road 60, 200m east of the Naga Bridge in Siem Reap.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Khmer ballet documentary debuts April 1

    A new documentary, The Perfect Motion, or Tep Hattha in Khmer, will premiere to the public on April 1. The documentary film follows two intertwined storylines: the creation of a show called Metamorphosis by the late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (her very last production) and the

  • Water supply authority assures public shortages over early ‘24

    The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) asked for understanding from Phnom Penh residents in some communes where water pressure is weak. They assured residents that all supply issues will be resolved by early 2024, but have suggested that residents use water sparingly in the meantime.