Dacanay saw her redundancy as chance to enjoy
her favourite pastime - art - but at first had difficulty
sourcing materials in a country that has had in place some of
the world's longest and strictest coronavirus measures.
With no luck finding canvas, Dacanay has instead picked leaves
from a jackfruit tree outside her home, intricately cutting away
tiny pieces to reveal well-known faces, from Robert Downey Jr
and Oprah Winfrey to Michael Jackson and even the Philippine
president, Rodrigo Duterte.
"Because of this pandemic, I wanted to try making artwork but
purchasing art supplies in my town was very difficult because of
the strict lockdown," she said, speaking at her home in Laguna
province, south of the capital Manila.
"The only way was to buy online but it was also difficult. I
experimented using leaves as a makeshift canvas and it turned
out really nice."
After gaining thousands of followers on Facebook, Dacanay has
sold hundreds of pieces of her "leaf art", each for about 400
pesos ($8.24). The exact price varies according to the level of
detail in each piece.
Now, instead of working seven days a week at the factory, plus
overtime, she said her new venture allows her to enjoy her
hobby, take things easier and still pay the bills.
"This leaf art has helped me so much financially during this
pandemic," she said.
"The money I use to pay bills, buy food for my family, and our
other daily expenses are from my earnings from commissioned
work."
(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
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