A Pink Moment

Posted in Beautiful, Botany, Colours, Dutch Tulips, Flowers, Magnolia, Mindful Observing Colours, Seasons by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Enjoy spring’s pink moments…

Magnolia

Magnolia detail

Malus ‘Red Sentinel’ Blossom;
Magnolia Branches, coloured pencil drawing Paula Kuitenbrouwer;
Magnolia branch, coloured pencil drawing Paula Kuitenbrouwer;
Yellow-Pink tulips.

Are you enjoying pink in your garden or your local park? You love or hate pink? Did you ever had a pink moment and later asked yourself ‘What was I thinking?’

Nature knows how to handle pink well; it mixes it with fresh green, dark brown and orange-red, as you can see studying the above photos and drawings. I think pink needs to grow up and does that well by relating itself to more adult colours like green, brown and red. Right? Or not? I invite you to share your thoughts on pink.

Paula

Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite original drawings, fine art cards, reproductions, and business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com

6May2013

Botanical Garden Hoofddijk Utrecht

Posted in Beautiful Dutch, Beautiful Utrecht, Botanical Gardens Utrecht, Botany, Colouring herbs, Colours, Dutch Golden Age Floral Painters, Dutch Golden Age Floral Paintings, Observing colours by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Photo impression of Fort Hoofddijk’s Botanical Garden, Utrecht. Click to enlarge

Utrecht’s Botanical Garden (Fort Hoofddijk) is such a wonderful place to visit on a fine sunny day. It is amazing how horticulturists have been able to squeeze so many different landscapes in a relative small area. I give you an impression of our short walk (not even a mile) through different biotopes. Clockwise:

Beautiful paths lead you through wetlands, rock gardens, and tiny meadows,

A Pyrus communis, a small peer tree, is such an eye catcher,

Bee hotels in all sizes and shapes with many solitary bees buzzing,

A child-friendly volunteer has understood that where bamboo is, there are pandas,

The main waterfall in the rock garden, flowing down to the wetlands,

Near the tea-house, you can buy some garden and succulent plants,

Flowering Prunus everywhere,

From the higher rock garden you can view the different sections of the garden,

In the small patch of mangroves, we spot a moorhen and a big frog.

Keizerskroon

It is a delight to see a Fritillaria imperialis ‘Crown imperial’ (or Kaiser’s crown) in full bloom. When you see this majestically plant, you understand why Dutch Golden Age floral painters used them as their top flower in their painted floral bouquets. Like Ambrosius Bosschaert (1573-1621) did in his Flowers in a Chinese Vase

To our delight we find an educational patch in the herbal garden. A board informs us that this patch is used for growing plants for manufacturing paints. The board shows how the pigment-rich plants look like, their name, and their colouring use. It goes without saying that I read this board with great interest, not in the least because the colouring properties of some herbs were new to me.

‘Verven met planten’ (‘Painting/Colouring with plants’)

More information on Utrecht’s botanical gardens you find here.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

16Apr2013

Delicate Butterflies

Posted in Beautiful, Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly, Broad-bodied Chaser Libelle, Business Cards, Butterflies, Coloured Pencil, Colours, Custom Made Mindful Drawing Products, Dragonfly, Feehand drawing, Garden Inspiration, Greeting Cards, Handwritten Note, insects, Mindful Drawing Products, Mindfully Drawing, Mother's day, Mummy card, Note Cards, Paula Kuitenbrouwer, Postcards, Seasons, Thank-You Cards by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

To my delight, I’ve seen the first butterfly of this season.

The first butterflies we are likely to see early in the year are those which hibernate, such as the Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, and Small Tortoiseshells.

Delicate Butterflies

All of them I’ve drawn on my different butterfly compositions.

Atalanta & Peacock

Atalanta & Peacock

(For more information on this set of fine art cards, click here.)

(A Ringlet)

Have you seen spring butterflies?

Could you find out or look up which one it was?

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

4Sep2012

Same Portrait, Different Colours

Posted in Colours, Mindful Observing Colours, On Art by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

I found these two images of Da Vinci’s portrait of a woman (c.1473) and I like to invite you to observe the difference.

Of course the portrait is the same only reflected. However, the colours are very different as a result of photography (lightning) and/or printing (pigments).

The large version has mainly a terracotta sepia colour palette. The beautiful warm reddish colour is complemented with a bit of subtle deep purple discolouration above the eye and in the dangling hair of the woman. The paper looks damaged with some whitish discolouration and even a bit of very vague green. The black is beautifully deep, especially at the place of the eye and next to the profile to the woman to push her face to the front and her hair to the back.

Now, observe the smaller version. This image looks faded. Still there is some orange-sepia at the top of the head. The eye looks black, with green and soft red. There is more green and blue in this image. Notice the soft green eyebrow and deep red in the nostrils. The woman’s dangling hair is grey, green, blue as well as red-brown. Her dress comes close to greenish-yellow and her skin is tan in her face and chest. There is just enough black left to suggest depth, and enough ‘white’ to suggest light.

I find both versions wonderful. Both have a truly beautiful colour palette. Now notice what colour does to you. To me the large sepia version feels warmer and fills me with human warmth. Due to the predominately terracotta colours, this drawing feel earthly. The smaller faded version overall makes a more ethereal impression. It makes me think more of the woman, who has lived and died and is fading in time, providing me with a sense of impermanence.

If I had to choose one of the versions it would take me some time to decide. For a room that needs human warmth, I would opt for the larger version. For a place for meditation or contemplation, I would choose the faded one.

What about you?

Paula

Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com

7Aug2012

Mindfully Observing Colours II

Posted in Color Theory, Colours, Composition, Mindful Drawing, Mindful Observing Colours, Musings by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Have a look at the colours of these vintage bowls. I see warm, Bordeaux red, I see ochre yellow, moss green, deep purplish blue, metallic blue, rock-grey and whitish grey. I see golden yellow and earth-brown. What a wonderful colours in these seemingly faded vintage bowls.

Which colours do I see? Well, I see a warm red heart against a grey dead-coloured background. Is that what makes this so beautiful? Is it the story of how warm love feels against the knowledge that dead is inevitable? I see a small blue-white line around the orange centre. I see a bit of green on the greyish wood. I see a glowing orange right next to the dead black of the key-hole. Which colours do you see? Which story is there to unlock for you?

Which colours do you see in this old wood? I see the whole range of yellow to deep orange, even warm red. I see grey changing in blue. I see dark grey getting darker till black. There is lots of green, white and dark blue too. Because all colours are the effect of light on wood, and none of the colours shine, this is a very pretty colour palette.

Blue and Orange are complementary colours. This mushroom has all colours of blue as decorative rings around its orange centre. It claims its space by a perfect white edge, saying: ‘Here I am, and here I stop’. Notice how the centre looks like a lava pit in a deep ravine. The different colours of blue show geographical layers. Or is it that this mushroom wants to look like a cut through tree showing its age with its pretty layers? Whatever, it is very beautiful.

Paula

P.S. I have no idea who took the four colourful photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com

6Aug2012

Mindfully Observing Colours

Posted in Color Theory, Colours, Composition, Mindful Drawing, Mindful Observing Colours by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

I see light tan and greyish blue, soft greenish yellow and warm orange. Reddish brown for the hair and shadow. Soft violet for the neck and light blue on the back. Pinkish tan for the infant. Beige for the seat. Bluish purple and greyish pink for the background. You thought this fresco had faded? There is still a lot of colour.

Which colours do you see? Your mind tells you that wood is brown or grey, but which colours would you choose to make a blend? I see pink and tan. I would use ochre, pink and grey for mixing and use dark grey for the cracks in the wood. There is beautiful sea-green, with blue-green spots and even a tiny bit of yellow on the edge. So, this is about pink and green? Largely, but to put these colours together you need to have patience. Time has bleached the wood! No, colours change, they don’t die.

I notice so many colours in perfect tune. See the orange-sepia at the top of the head, move down to her eye and see the soft terra-cotta. The eye looks black, with green and soft red. I see grey at the eye brows and deep red in the nostrils. Her dangling hair is grey, green, blue as well as red- brown. Her dress comes close to greenish-yellow and her skin is tan in her face and chest. Just enough black to suggest depth, and enough ‘white’ to suggest light. So much beauty in one sketch by Da Vinci.

Notice the light on the hand that makes it come alive with almost warmth radiating. See how the tan-orange colour of the statue and background give the chest, arm and hand a feeling of a real human, while the soft blue reminds us it is a statute. Orange and blue are complementary colours, they offer balance. In this photo they confuse and enchant us. Notice too the dark blue praying rosary that offer a clever contrast with the soft orange.

Paula

P.S. I have no idea who took the four photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.

6Aug2012

Mindfully Looking at Colours of Different Objects

Posted in Colours, Composition, Pinterest by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

This terracotta red barn door meets its complementary colour green as grass. The light brown wood looks natural and the green and red leaves are enhancing the red door and green grass. See that green leave? And the reddish rusty metal above the door? It is always charming when colours repeat themselves elsewhere in pictures in just a little bit different intensity. Like in music…you hear a melody repeating itself to allow us to recognize it and sing along. Or like in a poem with rhyme.

Notice how wonderful the purple is at the centre of this photo sending an ethereal message of hope to us. Of course the door isn’t purple (nobody would paint a garden door purple), but the grey takes that colour because of the light. All colours in this photo are soft, except from the deep bordeaux brown on the left side of the door. The soft skin colour of the tree and the soft moss green and vague blue in the back complement the purple door perfectly. Heaven surrounded by earth to me. To you too?

Why is this so pretty? Because of its soft colours and because nothing shines. It is a wonderful composition. The busy red is at the centre and the calm, pale colours at the edges. The chair is old, the flowers have only a short time to bloom. This is a modern Vanitas picture: Vanitas is a type of symbolic work of art especially associated with Northern European still life painting in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Latin Vanitas means “emptiness” and loosely translated corresponds to the meaninglessness of earthly life. This old chair with the flower bouquet show us we have to enjoy life because it is short. Beauty however is timeless.

Paula

P.S. I have no idea who took the three colourful photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.