June 2023 was the hottest June on record according to NASA’s global temperature analysis. Although July was much better for the Netherlands, elsewhere the world was on fire or boiling. It gave me a sense of ending.
We all are in this together. Because your house didn’t burn down, your environment at large (air quality, biodiversity, availability of water) has suffered. Clean air and fresh water have become scarcer and thus at one point these commodities will become a more expensive.
You know why biodiversity matters? One reason is that viruses and bacteria need animals (as hosts) and when there are less animals -in variety relating to numbers- viruses and bacteria jump to humans, and as a result –here we go again– another pandemic.
We need clean air, lots of vegetation (trees are air-cons), plenty of fresh water, and a huge reservoir of animals and insects. Noah was a wise man boarding all animals he possibly could find.
Noah’s Ark is a painting by Cajetan Roos (1690, Rome – 1770, Vienna), was an Italian landscape painter of German descent.
SENSE OF BEGINNING
Book Illustrations by Paula Kuitenbrouwer, an oak leaf filled border.Book Illustrations by Paula Kuitenbrouwer, an oak leaf filled border.Book Illustrations by Paula Kuitenbrouwer, an oak leaf filled border.
What gave me a sense of beginning was that my daughter -she is an aspiring writer- asked for illustrations for her (future) books. This opened a whole new world. I need to acquaint myself with new knowledge, new techniques, and book publishing related history and fashions to make book illustrations.
Thus, I started with studying standardized sizes relating to different genres. Size, however, is not a make-break; apart from common standard measurements there are options. That said, I like my illustrations to fit into standard measurements (avoiding distortions) and thus had to do some math.
Then there is typeface. My daughter would love to have a personalized letter type, which implies that I must design 26 letters, capitals, lowercase, 10 numbers, ampersands, etc. I will run into 101 challenges that will give me a sense of learning a new trade, thus a sense of beginning. It made me think of William Morris who set up his own Kelmscott Press and designed its hallmark typefaces, decorative borders, letters, and ornaments. How very inspiring!
Lime Tree Decorative Border by Paula Kuitenbrouwer
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
It is important to have a greater sense of beginning than a sense of ending. Learning new creative skills and setting ambitious creative goals helps. But that won’t be enough to compensate for the excesses of capitalism, global warming, and the ever growing divide between haves and have-nots. Some even refer to the end of the Anthropocene (the time during which humans have had a substantial impact on our planet). We will need to become extremely innovative and creative in minimizing our harmful impact on our planet.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer, Drs. M.A. Paula holds an MA degree in Philosophy and works as an artist in Utrecht. She is the owner of mindfuldrawing.com, a website with academic essays, short articles, and most of all: artworks. Paula’s pen and pencils are always fighting for her attention nevertheless they are best friends; Paula likes her art to be brainy and her essays to be artistic. Contact Paula freely for commissions.
Angels’ Wings by Paula KuitenbrouwerAngels’ Wings by Paula KuitenbrouwerAngels’ Wings by Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Free shipping.
They arrive in a sturdy envelope, these 9 prayer, note-booking, bookmark, well-wishing cards with nice texts and enough white space for a short personal wish.
Size about 7-10 cm.
Angels’ wings … how do they look like? Do they have to resemble birds’ wings? Or can we express the wonders of the mystical realm in various creative ways?
Paula Kuitenbrouwer Angels’ WingsPaula Kuitenbrouwer Angels’ Wings
I finished a project that has been in the making for years. I started it when I was living in Ireland, a land full nature, pagan and catholic beliefs. After leaving Ireland, this project got shelved but the pandemic made me return to it. Perhaps thanks to a very quiet lockdown time, local Irish angels could reach me all the way in the Netherlands (two seas in between the Netherlands and Ireland) and whispered ‘Paula, finish this project; don’t let it disappear into oblivion’. So, I returned to my collection of angels’ wings. I enjoyed have felt the whisper and aid of the Muses of the Arts, angels, birds, butterflies, trees, shells, and motherhood during the hours of painting angels’ wings.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
In art angels have wings. Through the ages, artists have adjoined bird wings for so the public would recognize what they were drawing are angels. Perhaps another reason for painting bird wings as angels’ wings is transportability; wings symbolize the ability to fly to heaven and return to earth.
Different bird wings have been attached to angels in fine arts, although swan wings seem to be favourite. Archangel Michael has been portrayed with strong, large wings, consisting of four colours; red, green, blue, and yellow. Cherubs are often embellished with cygnet or small swan wings.
The size of wings in fine art paintings is irrelevant; there is no need for a perfect ratio of wing size to body weight because angels are regarded as weightless. They also do not seem to use their wings, like birds do. Having no need to follow the laws of aerodynamics or being truthful to ornithological anatomy, angels’ wings allow artists endless freedom.
For reasons unbeknownst to me some angels are well known others are (almost) forgotten. Most of us know Michael and Gabriel because they are recognized as archangels in Judaism, Islam, and by most Christians but there are many more. Should you like to dive into the realms of angels, I highly recommend A Dictionary of Angels by Gustav Davidson.
‘Angels transcend every religion’, says Saint Thomas Aquinas, ‘…every philosophy and every creed. In fact, angels have no religion as we know it. Their existence preceded every religious system that has ever existed on Earth’.
Which angels do you know? And what do their wings look like? During the months I have worked on my Angels’ Wings Project, I haven’t felt the need to restrict myself to angels recognized by world religions. I found angels close to home; a woodland angel, a sea angel, and a breastfeeding and mothers’ hand angel. It is my hope that you will enjoy my angels’ wings with humor, with fond feelings, and use them as prayer cards or as well-wishing messages for your beloved ones.
Now I will present my angels’ wings. I have used monochromatic and coloured pencils to create as many details as possible. I work on Arches art paper. The printed small cards have a crisp white background and are printed on premium paper with a matte finish.
ANGELS’ WINGS
Original Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer Copyrighted
Text:
Often angels’ wings are portrayed as white swan wings. However archangel Michael’s wings sometimes have four primary colours; red, blue, green, and yellow. The shape of his wings is always strong and large to illustrate his triumph over evil.
Original Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer Copyrighted
Text:
Seraphim are ancient celestial beings. They have multiple wings and eyes. Perhaps we should see these eyes symbolically? Do the eyes represent that angels see all things? In the spiritual realm things are different. Having multiple eyes or faces perhaps means that the spiritual realm fills us with majesty and wonder.
Original Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer Copyrighted
Text:
It is believed that this angel crashed and that butterflies repaired his broken feathers with their hind-wings. This is a fallacy because angels seldom have accidents. The truth is that this angel loves butterflies so much that when he finds a lost wing, he carries it up to heaven. Such is the alluring beauty of the fragile Monarch and Malachite butterfly.
Original Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer Copyrighted
Text:
Spending time in nature isn’t possible for everyone. But a walk in a park, admiring spring flowers, or enjoying a bouquet offers joy too. This angel brings you flowers -tulips in various colours- to delight you. All you are invited to do is to look at the angel-wing with its tulip heads, close your eyes, and imagine that you are showered with flower petals.
Original Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer Copyrighted
Text:
‘Let my baby sleep through the night, please’. The first night your baby sleeps for a longer stretch of time is because you prayed -perhaps subconsciously- to this wonderful angel. She has comforted your baby by using her ultra-soft wing that contains a million of lactating breasts for your newborn. You might have heard your baby making sweet drinking noises? Precisely.
Original Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer, Copyrighted
Text:
This woodland angel takes care of seed dispersal when birds, wind, and insects have a day off. Seeds of trees and shrubs are the heart, start, and renewal of a forest. This woodland angel stores nuts and forest fruits between his wing feathers and releases them where saplings are needed.
Mother’s Hands Angel copyright Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Text:
Losing your mother is a momentous heartbreak. We miss our mother’s love, her voice, her soft cheeks, and her caring hands. When we miss our mother, this angel comforts us. She has millions of mothers’ hands woven into her feathers. At night, she softly wraps her motherly wing around those who grieve.
Text:
Most children and adults collect shells when they saunter along the beach. The more complex and exotic they are in shape and size, the better. Angels love gathering shells too. Of course, angels aren’t geographically restricted. This angel extravagantly has decorated its wing with a wonderful assemblage of shells.
Midwinter Angel Wing with Holly & Ivy decorations and lots of greens and reds, copyright by Paula Kuitenbrouwer
As for good, traditional Midwinter, Christmas, or Happy Holidays, I have painted a large strong angel wing with holly & ivy. The wing shows many green and red hues, the traditional colours we miss so much during the long, dark, and grey winter months. The text on the backside reads:
In the midwinter months, this angel’s wing spreads evergreens such as holly and ivy that keep their fresh green foliage throughout the winter season.
Green leaves and red berries fill us with hope that the vegetation shall reappear. Evergreens provide us with a sense of safety and merriment.
On the darkest days of the year, we decorate our homes as we do in spring, reminding us of fertility, birth, food, and joy.
May you consider this midwinter angel wing as the herald of happiness.
ALL ANGELS’ WINGS TOGETHER, copyright Paula Kuitenbrouwer
FROM OBLIVION TO GLORY
In the light of the above inspiration….I hope you have enjoyed various angels’ wings. I might make more and I welcome angel wing commissions. The ones above are available as small art prints for using them as prayer/memory/well wishing as well as originals. Do contact me freely by using the contact form. Send them to your beloved ones, those who need support, or keep them in your holy books, diaries, or notebooks.
Nine (9) Angel’s Wings
Nine professionally printed Angel Wing Cards to be used as well wishing, prayer or bookmark cards (size 7,5 x 10,5 cm which is about 3 x 4 inches).
The text on the back leaves enough space for a small note.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer, Drs. M.A. Paula holds an MA degree in Philosophy and works as an artist in Utrecht. She is the owner of mindfuldrawing.com, a website with academic essays, short articles, and artworks. Her pen and pencils are always fighting for her attention nevertheless they are best friends; Paula likes her art to be brainy and her essays to be artistic. Contact Paula freely for commissions or articles.
Recent Mandarin Duck Gouache Paintings with Gold Leaf and Iridescent Paint
Who are the Killers and Midwives of your Art?
Upon visiting our local bookstore, my eye caught two titles. ‘The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness’ by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. And ‘The Beauty of Everyday Things’ by Soetsu Yanai. I did not need encouraging reviews to bring these books home.
With my new books safely stored in my backpack, I walked home musing over the question of what if I had lived, like Robinson Crusoe, on an island and there was nobody to admire or criticize my art, what would be my creative take on my life, on my small island, on my spiritual growth and so on. Or to put it slightly different, in a void of art appreciation and art criticism, what kind of artistic development would I experience? Is inspiration a divine energy or a genetic trait that keeps its steady flow despite having no social relevance? And with the book title ‘The Courage to Be Disliked’ in mind, if inspiration is independent of art appreciation, is it also independent of being disliked?
I have a deep and unwavering dislike for ugliness, hate, and aggression. My art therefore always will be beautiful, meditative, calm, and romantic because that is what flows out of me on my canvas. There is enough ugliness and hate, that it doesn’t need more spotlight. (I need to make a disclaimer here for political art; artists have to paint the human predicament, thus also war, hell and death, think of Picasso’s Guernica).
Time for some self-inquiry. Keep the answers to yourself and enjoy possible new insights:
Who has stimulated your art? Who has tried to kill or belittle your art? Who are the killers and midwives of your art?
What art would you make being a Robinson Crusoe (miraculously having a free and fully stocked art store available but alas nobody to appreciate your art)?
What would be your L’art pour l’art (‘Art for the sake of art’).
A bit of musing can yield astounding results.
Success!
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Paula holds an MA degree in Philosophy and she is the owner of mindfuldrawing.com. Her pen and pencils are always fighting for her attention nevertheless they are best friends; Paula likes her art to be brainy and her essays to be artistic.
Elegant Tulips. Two double folded art cards, professionally printed with artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer. They comes with matching envelopes.
Free shipping. One to send, one to keep.
€17.00
Two (2) Mandarin Ducks (standing) Art Cards by Paula Kuitenmbrouwer
A lovely couple of mandarin ducks are closely standing together, relaxed and keeping an eye on each other, bonding and celebrating their life long partnership. Two double folded art cards, professionally printed with artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer. They comes with matching envelopes.
Free shipping. One to send, one to keep.
I have discussed the effects of the pandemic with many of my artist friends. I was wondering whether they loathed or embraced various lockdowns? I found out that long weeks or months at home brought them deep focus and a relief from the continuous time crunches they often experience combining art-making and family life.
However, I observed more. A pandemic causes many people to lose their equilibrium. Anxiety sets in and various lockdowns cause mass stir craziness and cabin-fever. People have become so aggressive! The Netherlands saw a huge increase of domestic or family violence towards women and children. There is such road rage on highways too. It is like people have become mad.
To the other end of the spectrum of mental health, people have also grown depressed. There is a radicalization of feelings due to a lack of social contact. It is not good for people to feel trapped because that easily leads to restlessness, anxiety or being agitated. Not that we should all pollute the air with kerosene again, but being cooked up at home is a hardship for most of us.
WELL BALANCED
But interestingly artists, avid readers, and musicians seem to suffer less problems (disclaimer, so it seems in my social circles) because they do a lot of mind traveling. They transport themselves to artistic, literary or musical realms and go on about their days making music, painting canvases, and reading books. In fact, for many artist friends the numerous lockdowns have been productive and inspirational, (though less profitable because of closed concert halls, galleries and shops).
ARISTOTLE’S GOLDEN MEAN
How can we explain this? Let us turn to Aristotle’s Golden Mean. The golden mean, or golden middle way is the desirable middle between two extremes. If aggression is an excess of energy, depression is a deficiency of energy. Let us go back to those who lost their equilibrium and became aggressive. Aggression is a deficiency of despondency; there is too much stirring up bad energies. It is extreme to be aggressive. It shows an excess of boiled up energy. Depression is a shortage of aggression, of combativeness; it is a lack of energy. It is extreme too. One should neither be aggressive nor depressed. One should have healthy, harmonious energy. So, if aggression and depression are two extremes, what or which is the golden mean state of being? What is the middle between aggression and depression? That is initiative, or resourcefulness, or name it creativity.
Take a difficult meeting in which compromises must be made. Those with too much aggressive energy walk out. Those who give up, look hollow-eyed. But those who have healthy energy show creativity, offering creative ways out of a deadlock.
#Artheals #Nevernotmaking
This creativity, imagination, this resourcefulness and initiative, did we just describe Aristotle’s’ golden mean or did we focus on personal characteristics of artists by naming inventiveness, creativity, resourcefulness and imagination? We did both. I think that the personal traits of an artist keep an artist well balanced and resilient during lockdown. Artists will resort to their habits of creating, taking initiative, keeping their creative juices flowing. #nevernotmaking is a trending hashtag on Instagram. So is #artheals. I see it with all my creative friends: they fare well through lockdowns. Of course, there are boring days, but depression? No. Aggression? No. Creativity? Yes, plenty of it.
Open museums and concert halls
Now that is established how important art making and art is, why not open up our (Dutch) cultural sector? Why are shops now open but museums and podiums closed? Apparently, it is because our government aims to keep us local (not spreading the virus). People are discouraged to travel beyond their region to visit museums or concerts. But in the light of this hyper contagious Omicron, this is a lost fight. Omicron will come as a tsunami and nobody will be spared. Open up our creative and cultural sector because it is hugely important to collectively feel well balanced. Art should not be an afterthought; it lies at the heart of our well being.
“So how are you keeping?”
“Very well, really“
“How come?”
“Because I have more time for drawing!”
I hope artists inspire others becoming creative too. Prevent depression and aggression by engaging in artistic, musical, and literary activities.
Ever since the pandemic I have been reading and reading. Of course, when there is plenty of natural light, I prioritize drawing. But since consecutive lockdowns came into effect and meeting friends, running errands, and going for a walk were pushed to the background, literature reclaimed its rightful place. I kept a list of books in my diary and every time I finished a book, I proudly ticked off a book title. I like to share the moment with you that within the time-span of two days I came across a book title and a harrowing painting. Let me first give you the book title. It stopped me dead in my tracks.
‘Generaals Sterven in Bed’, a Dutch book on WWII. Generals die lying in beds.
Generals die lying on beds
I thought the title was brilliant (disclaimer: I did not read the book). It rang so true to me. I have seen it again and again, those who have struggled in life have died an untimely, painful or medicine induced death whilst those who have ruled, manipulated, or were in charge, Machiavellians, lived a long, happy life and died a peaceful, luxuriously death neatly tugged between crisp white bed linen. But foot-soldiers die on battlefields, in the dirt, at a too young age. ‘Comes with the job, an occasional ‘habit’, collateral damage, kind of thing‘. But generals die at a high age on luxurious beds.
Dead Soldier, unknown (Italian) painter. Notice the skull and bones that symbolize death in case you overlooked the bloodless colour of the soldier’s face.
Next, the painting of a dead soldier. It made me wonder whether it is a detail of a larger painting because of its unusual angle that is a bit uncomfortable for a viewer. But perhaps, this uncomfortable perspective was something the painter precisely sought? I imagine the soldier has most likely fought for someone else’s cause, principles, or power games and now dies an anonymous, early death. Maybe he ends up in a mass grave, unlike the general.
The book title and the painting made me wonder what battles we fight and for who? Who are foot soldiers and who are generals? Do you know them in your life, amongst your friends, at your work? Who is dying for who? I thought of Machiavelli’s philosophy. But also of a very old flyer of a political party that I vaguely remembered. It showed a sweet, little girl, standing all alone in a desert whilst you are asked the question: What if there is a war and nobody is willing to participate? Nobody shows up on the battlefield?
Art and literature make us evaluate the roles we take up in life. Art and literature offer us endless inspiration to ask questions in our lives that need to be asked.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Next blogpost will focus on Aristotle’s Golden Mean in relation to lockdown/quarantine and living the artist life.
Paula holds an MA degree in Philosophy and she is the owner of mindfuldrawing.com. Her pen and pencils are always fighting for her attention nevertheless they are best friends; Paula likes her art to be brainy and her essays to be artistic.
How do the seemingly unrelated quotes above interconnect? They conjure up memories of my annus horriblis (Latin phrase, meaning “horrible year”). Misery sometimes comes down like torrential rain. However, I can now look back and see how literature and art brought me valuable insights.
Marie-Guillemine Benoist (1768-1826) Les adieux de Psyché à sa famille; Psyche Bidding Farewell to her Family
ACCEPTANCE
Acceptance is a powerful emotion. Acceptance causes less suffering than trying to change the unchangeable. But how does one reach this stage? That question -of course- requires a highly personal response. Some take to sporting, others to long nature walks. But art has been my method. This year, I worked harder than ever, and, luckily, inspiration kept coming and coming. I felt so blessed to be at my desk with its workstation and Arches sketchbook. No matter what happened, I always returned to my drawing pad. I would pour a cup of tea and work on various projects. The more hours I worked, the easier my deep focus would became and blissful moments would follow in which I forgot about all and sundry. Only my art would exist; more exactly, only art-making would exist (and my loving and supportive husband and wonderful daughter, of course). The world around me and myself would simply disappear. These moments of non-existing were nourishing and healing, offering me a transformation from sadness to acceptance.
Recently, I read Wintering by Katherine May. May defines winter not only as a season, but also as the process of going through an emotional winter. Author May resorts to walking. She pulls herself through a yearlong suffering by long distance walking, and unsurprisingly, she guides herself to a better (mental) place. Even though I have always liked Aristotle’s peripatētikos (‘philosophizing is best done whilst walking’) as to prevent stagnation of emotions and thoughts, for me art-making has been more crucial than my daily walks. For me, it has always been art-making, drawing and painting, that has pulled me through any hardship home or abroad, and through any winter, be it a seasonal winter, or a year full of farewells. One better accepts farewells; there is no use in fighting. Because winter, seasonally and emotionally, is a part of life, one can better sooner than later wrap one’s head around it.
Winter Holly by Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Wintering, May describes, is also about preparing, stocking up stuff, or finding coping methods that help one endure the cold. And so, I did, and whilst I found great pleasure in stocking up crafts-tools, sketchbooks, graphite pencils, I came to experience my annus horriblis as a coming to terms with (a sudden and accelerated) ageing of beloved ones, ‘friends’ turning into foes, and family members falling ill to cancer.
I rigorously de-cluttered my house of memories, of stuff that till recently were reminders of pleasant ties, but now seemed to trigger vexatious feelings or sad memories of estranged ones. Letting go of all of that didn’t hold up eventually became a rewarding and deliberating exercise. And not only that, I have friends describing beneficial effects of the Corona pandemic and its various lock-downs as an exploration of what actually and really matters and of letting go of unnecessary frills of life. Apparently, vintage shops are more stocked than ever and employees have walked away from underpaid jobs in the thousands, giving new directions to their lives.
Not everything withstands the test of time
The Pandemic’s Battle for Life
The year 2021, the corona pandemic, obviously has been a battle for life. Literally, metaphorically, and personally. Worldwide, there has been a collective fight to prevent mortality numbers from accelerating. On an individual level, people battled with corona, with stress, with people falling ill or ageing beyond recognition, with their bosses, with siblings, or their landlords, and so on. In these fights, much was lost but those who took lock-downs as spiritual retreats reported gaining much wisdom. And isn’t a pandemic a ‘winter’, with being advised to stay indoors, scaling down social contacts, hibernating and living a postponed life?
Bookplate by Paula Kuitenbrouwer with a tree representing wisdom having its roots in literature.
I highly recommend literature and art at such wintry times. Literature offers a whole spectrum of pleasant effects from enchanting escapism to tapping into sources of wisdom. Art offers nourishment for the soul and healing from the pain that life sometimes throws at us.
Is my ‘winter’ over? Am I enjoying the merry months of May? Winter is about hibernating, withdrawing, decaying, dying. It is part of life. Is it possible to feel spring whilst there still are subzero temperatures? Yes. One can arrive at spring amidst a cold winter. For me, making art has been instrumental for working through a challenging time. I highly recommend seeking refuge in the realms of literature and arts where you will find much wisdom and inspiration.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Commission artist living in the Netherlands (see contact form below).
Paula Kuitenbrouwer 