Artist in Utrecht – Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Where to order your Koi Carp art?

Nine Koi Carps represent unity,

prosperity, & longevity.

Who does not feel enchanted by Koi carps? The way that they gracefully slide through their watery world makes us believe that they represent our thoughts and feelings. These large, but ever so elegant, soft-finned Koi carps swim in freshwater; they appear and disappear, come and go from all directions, like our thoughts during meditation. The more the Koi carps feel relaxed whilst being watched by you, so our thoughts slow down during meditation as we do not engage with our thoughts, but observe them manifesting and disappearing. Koi carps stand for prosperity and success. Their hardy nature has also led to Koi being associated with longevity.

NINE KOI CARPS

Here is another Koi Carp commission. The typical number of Koi fish in a Feng-shui is 9 because it means unity, prosperity and longevity. The number nine represents attainment and completion.

MONOCHROMATIC or GRAPHITE ART

I also accept monochromatic (graphite) Koi carp commissions. Would you miss colour? That depends on what art you prefer and what kind of art decorates your home. Perhaps your home has neutral colours? Or your home is alludes to the 17-18th century? Or you have an earth home with only greys and ocher tones? Monochromatic art is soulful and although colour makes people happy, monochromatic art is without doubt a bit deeper.

Monochromatic Koi Carp Art Work by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Contact me freely to commission your nine Koi carps. I make a colourful composition for you with measurements of 46-61 cm i.e 18-21 inches because these big fish need space. Compositions with 2 or 3 Koi carps can be smaller in size (and consequently lower in price).

Questions I will ask is whether you prefer accompanying lotus flowers and what colour Koi carps you favour. Also I need to know whether your preferences in relation to its orientation: horizontal (landscape) or vertical (portrait).

See more about commissioning me and its price indication at Etsy.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

at Etsy & at Instagram

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.

Koi Carp Art Cards by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Two (2) Koi Carp Art Cards

Two Koi Carp Art Cards by Paula Kuitenbrouwer. They are professionally printed, double folded art cards. They come with matching envelopes. One for keeping: one for sending. There are customers who frame the card. Free shipping.

€18.00

First Steps in Book Illustrations

SENSE OF ENDING

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.

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!

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

at Etsy

at Instagram

Angels' Wings by Paula Kuitenbrouwer — Angels’ Wings by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

HAVE A LOOK AT MY ANGELS’ WING POSTS:

Angels’ Wings

Angel Wings II

Midwinter & Lichen Angel Wing

NINE ANGEL WINGS IN YOUR MAILBOX

NINE (9) ANGEL WINGS SMALL CARDS

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.

€30.00

SELF INQUIRY FOR AN ARTIST

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.

At Etsy

At Instagram

Two (2) Tulips Art Cards by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

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.

€17.00

Floral Triptych (Bloemen Drieluik)

Drieluik Triptychion

What better than receiving a request to draw a floral triptych of lush spring flowers during the Corona lockdown? After the monochromatic under layer, working on these large Arches sheets (41- 61 cm), adding many layers of colour, felt like wandering through a lush garden.

The contrary was true. We were home most of the time, our city turning into a ghost town with museums and botanical gardens keeping their doors locked. Going to the supermarket and making a daily walk through greener parts of our area was all we did. I bought new green plants and planted some extra flowers on our balcony. But my real garden was on my drawing station and it was full irises, tulips, and daffodils. Before giving the sheets a protective spray, I added bugs and bees.

Packing up an commission always makes me nervous. But it worked by using an XL artist tube and three protective folios. By the time I brought the artist tube to the post office, our lockdown was almost over. Only our botanical gardens keep their gates closed till the 1st of July. Although I long to visit them, I understand that they can do very well without us, humans. They might even have had a jolly good time!

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

@mindfuldrawing on Instagram

At Etsy as Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Dutch Heritage Nieuwe Gracht Huisjes (Utrecht)

Follow the progress that I make drawing three lovely houses located at the Nieuwe Gracht, Utrecht. This large drawing demands much patience because these three pearls are full details. I will update this blogpost regularly. For videos on this project, visit my Instagram account @mindfuldrawing. Contact me for questions and commissions.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Etsy

Instagram

Two Mandarin Duck Couples

I like to show you two different mandarin duck drawings. In traditional Asian culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of love, affection, and fidelity.

Mandarin ducks Lotus Pond warm.jpg — Mandarin Ducks in Lotus Pond copyright Paula Kuitenbrouwer

The first drawing is titled Matchmaking in Heaven. It shows a mandarin duck couple in a lotus pond. It is a softly rendered watercolour drawing. The pond is calm, lotus flowers are growing and so is the bond between this duck and drake deepening. The duck and drake have just decided to take a swim. They will look for food, synchronized as they are. They are life long partners and, like swans, will stay together. Lotus flowers are symbols of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth. In Asia, mandarin ducks represent love and loyalty. Seeing bonding ducks, seeing how synchronised they are, makes people long for a deep belonging, a deep bond between lovers. Love renews itself every day; it grows, it deepens and sometimes we need to stand still and take time to say ‘I love you’ to our beloved ones. Because, although we know it, expressing this during a day that is full of obligations, commitments, and ambitions is a good thing. Combining the Lotus symbol with the Mandarin ducks, this couple stays together to grow old and wise together. They feel reborn in their deepening love every season.

The other mandarin duck couple drawing has a longer story. I was about to add a new couple to my portfolio when I noticed the Fibonacci Sequence in one of my old sketches. I immediately set out to make a circular composition, adding two ducks shaped as in the well-know Fibonacci fashion. And after having done that successfully, I couldn’t stop and added parts of The Great Wave off Kanagawa by the Japanese artist Hokusai next to the mandarin ducks.

Now I had four Fibonacci elements in one drawing, as I recognized the Fibonacci sequence in Hokusai’s wave too. This mandarin duck couple, deeply in love with each other, is bathing in wild waters. In fact, they are so deeply bonded, they have no idea where they individually begin or end. They have become one in emotion and routine. They are also one with the waters they live in.

The beautiful Hokusai wave, which could be interpreted as the pleasant and unpleasant high waves life throws at every couple, can’t separate them. They will stay together during their whole life; in high tide and low tide, in calm and difficult times, through day and night, till the end.

More Mandarin ducks are at my Etsy homepage & Instagram.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Two Mandarin Duck Art Cards (sitting)

Two Mandarin duck art cards: double folded, professionally printed with a larger image inside for framing. Comes with matching envelopes. Mandarin ducks symbolize love and loyalty; they sit closely together to confirm their life long bond.

€18.00

Two Mandarin Ducks Art Cards (standing)

€18.00

Order your mandarin duck commission by contacting me through the contact form. Here are a few examples of original artwork done by me. I listen carefully to customers’ ideas about how the ducks should be positioned, which colours (possible) vegetation should have, whether the ducks are resting or swimming, etc. I find great delight in painting these lovely ducks.

Mandarin Duck couples by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Other & Recent Posts

Forest Scene: Mandarin Ducks Resting on a River Bank

The mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) have carefully chosen a place to rest. They seems to blend in with the dark background, thus if necessary, they will respond quickly by taking to the waters and thus escape predators. The river is calm, the forest is rich in sounds and smells, and all is well. The reflection of the lovely couple is visible in the calm water. Birds are flying over.

The duck and drake have just decided to take a rest and have already positioned themselves on the bank. The duck is checking the left, the drake checks the right, if all feels safe they will soon tuck their bills into their wings and take a nap. After that they will look for food again, synchronized as they are. They are life long partners, like swans. In Asia mandarin ducks represent love and loyalty. On the photos of this drawing, you will notice a few wooden ducks. They are used, in Asia, like drawings, prints and paintings, to enhance feelings of love and loyalty in homes and rooms between couples. Seeing bonding ducks, seeing how synchronised they are, makes people long for a deep belonging, a deep bond between lovers.

This is a softly rendered graphite drawing. On my Etsy home page and Instagram you can watch a video of the making of this drawing. I have done many Mandarin duck commissions for homes, weddings, engagements, stationary, or meditation/sleeping rooms. Contact me should you have specific wishes regarding a mandarin duck drawing. Also, have a look at my shop where you will find mandarin duck mini-prints, cards, and full colour drawings. May I advise to have a full colour drawing of mandarin ducks in a monochromatic coloured room and a softly rendered graphite drawing in a colourful room?

Artist information: Derwent graphite H-series pencils on Arches hot press paper 31-41 cm.

Although Mandarin ducks are Asian ducks, Dutch park and estate owners buy these ducks to add some bright colours to their duck ponds or castle moats. Mandarin ducks then need nesting facilities because in nature they breed inside tree cavities. They seem to do well in Dutch weather. I am very lucky to have spotted them nearby my home town. One thinks that they stand out splendidly, but I can assure you that even the very colourful drake often seems to blend in its surroundings perfectly.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

@mindfulfdrawing on Instagram (video link)

at Etsy

at Instagram

mindfuldrawing@gmail.com

Bruntenhof Gate Utrecht

My ‘Gate to Heaven’, a lovely gate is located not too far away from my home, at Bruntenhof, Museumkwartier in Utrecht.

In real, there is no flower vase, just pavement in front of this gate. I received some feedback, stating: ‘There is a great difference between a photo of this gate and your drawing. A photo shows beautiful stonework but you have drawn something dreamy and poetic. The gate has become a portal to another world. You can walk through it and find yourself in a Medieval landscape with knights and dryads‘. I think the feedback itself is rather poetical, don’t you think? Such sensitive feedback stimulates me to make even more progress.

This gate can be found at Bruntenhof, Museumkwartier in Utrecht, in the centre of the Netherlands. It dates back to 1620. But it could be any gate, a dream gate, a portal to heaven, to another world. Gates are symbolic and often stand for a transformation or travelling between worlds. Gardens are set apart from manor houses by a gate. People drive through gates to enter an estate. Gates impress, transform, and show style; Roman, Art Nouveau, Classical, Medieval or gates are used for defence purposes. Drawings of gates can mean so much and are open to your interpretation.

Commissions are welcome for drawing a favourite place be it a gate home, residence, manor house, hotel, garden, holiday-home, estate, or apartment. Contact me for discussing your preferences.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Listed at Etsy & at Instagram

Contact me for questions:

Abundant Acanthus; A Lovely Gift for a William Morris or Plant Loving Person

‘Abundant Acanthus’ with plant motifs by William Morris and me. Here are the ‘work in progress’ photos and musings.

I have drawn this large graphite drawing with so much pleasure despite that I became dizzy from all these swirling botanical patterns, but isn’t elegance worth a bit of suffering?

Feel invited to discuss your Acanthus or any other botanical or Arts and Crafts monochromatic or full colour artwork with me (please, use the contact form).

Paula Kutenbrouwer

At Etsy & at Instagram

Two (2) Mandarin Duck art cards by Paula Kuitenbrouiwer (standing ducks)

Two double folded and professionally printed art cards with larger images inside (for framing). There is enough white space for a letter of message. The cards arrive with matching envelopes. Free shipping.

€18.00

York Minster Cathedral Drawing

b8fad007-ef2a-4ba9-9879-47168204b4dd This is a drawing that I made while staying in an apartment opposite of York Minster (Cathedral). I enjoyed studying all York Minster’s wonderful, elegant, and whimsical details with and without binoculars.

I was especially charmed by some stonework that wasn’t symmetrical and I thus set out to capture it by standing in front of the window, drawing without a ruler. Later I used a ruler but only a little to keep the spontaneity of this elegant drawing.

I apologise for the darker photos as I planned to place the drawing so that the facade of York Minster is visible in the background, thus photographing against natural light. The drawing is done on white (slightly off white) high quality paper and the drawing is light, elegant, and softly rendered. For ornithologists, boy did we enjoy the peregrine falcon family! Two parents and four juveniles exercising flying around the north east tower delighted us. For these birds, York Minster is a perfect natural rock formation surrounded by food (e.g. street pigeons).

This drawing is a special gift as there is only one and there are no copies available.

Artist info: Derwent graphite, fixative Winsor & Newton. Frame it with a mount and you have a lovely ‘Memory of a Minster’, or ‘Detail of a Cathedral’. (I know a Minster and Cathedral aren’t the same, yet many use both terms).

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

at Etsy

Postage Stamp Design

Some countries offer self designed postage stamps. These stamps are fun and handy for personalizing your enveloped or package.

Most of us upload a nice photo (of our pet or wedding) and buy online these personalized photo-stamps. Perhaps a personalized or commissioned drawing or painting to upload for an artistic postal stamp might even be more impressive, I thought.

Over the years, I have regularly designed postal stamp and I like to show them to you.

My Dürer Stagbeetle Postal Stamp

Paula Kuitenbrouwer’s Stagbeetle stamps after a study by Albrecht Dürer.

My Angel Wing Postal Stamp

My Angel Wing stamp that complements my Angel Wing Small Art Cards

My Christmas Postal Stamps

Chirstmas Postcards with Postal Stamps — My Christmas Postcard with complementing postal stamps.

MANDARIN DUCK POSTAL STAMPS

Mandarin duck postcard with similar postal stamps designed by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

My Swans

My Swan Couple Postage Stamp

TWO SWANS

Two swans, in love, show their synchronized ‘dance’ in their lotus filled pond. A dragonfly seems to agree with their display of love. I have added a thin frame and the typical postal stamp milled edge, plus Art decor lettering.

Should you fancy a personalized and commissioned postage stamp, do contact me freely.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Paula’s Etsy shop

MANDARIN DUCK ART CARD

Two Mandarin Duck art Cards (Standing Ducks)

Two lovely and professionally printed art cards that hold a larger image inside for framing. There is enough room for a message. They comes with matching envelopes. Free shipping.

€18.00

In Praise of Plants

Praising Plants Artwork by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

This is a large graphite drawing (about the size of A3) beautifully and softly rendered, titled ‘Praising Plants’. I have set up this drawing as a way to show gratitude towards (house) plants. They provide us with oxygen, hence the text ‘Thank Your for your O2,’ a word rhyme that names oxygen by its element. Instead of drawing plants in pots, I have used a frame decorated with Ginkgo leaves. These leaves are found near Ginkgo trees, often in growing in botanical gardens or in Asian cities.

Inside the border, I have added two plant motifs, Acanthus and Pimpernel Bay-leaf Manilla, inspired by William Morris, a British textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. The two other plant motifs are designed by me; Bamboo and Lotus flower.

One should see this drawing as a garden, as a local botanical garden in which one can deeply relax and become thankful for what plants do for us. Not only do they provide us with oxygen, but also with soul nourishment and above all, with beauty. Frame this drawing and feel inspired by what plants mean for us and how they can enchant us with their intricate patterns.

NOT ONLY PLANTS: ALSO TREES

Plants are important in art. Think about how Renaissance painters carefully added local growing flowers to their artwork. Think about how William Morris studied his garden as inspiration to his designs. Trees are as inspiring; in their complete form (including roots), but also only their leaves, or pine cones, or fruits and flowers. Here is my Ode to Oaks artwork:

‘Ode to All Oak Trees’ copyright by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

COMMISSION YOUR PLANT ARTWORK

Should you like to commission me for a Praising Plants artwork which your favourite plants or plants related to your location, land or family name, do contact me freely. I make monochromatic artwork but also use colour.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

at Etsy

Two Elegant Tulips Art Cards by Paula Kuitenbrouwer

Two double folded art cards showing lush tulips. They come with matching envelopes. Free shipping.

€18.00

Ma, a Japanese aesthetic principle, in my three bird drawings

I’d like to show three paintings in which I have incorporated Ma, a Japanese aesthetic principle. Ma is described as ‘an interval in time and/or space’, thus referring to empty spaces, vagueness or abstraction. Empty spaces, in which nothing seems to happen, are full of possibilities. How do my three birds deal with Ma in their portraits?

For my portrait of Magpie, Korea’s national bird, I added orange colour to compensate for a magpie’s black and white plumage. To stay close to her Korean habitat, I decided to position Magpie on a colourful and fruit-bearing persimmon branch, heavily laden with pumpkin-shaped kaki. Magpie is content with her portrait, and so am I.

Setting up a composition for a portrait of Carrion Crow was a little harder. Negotiations with this proud and cheeky bird were tough. I talked him into sitting on a mountain ash branch, but initially he didn’t agree with my decision of pushing him a little to the back.

‘You are an indigo blue-ivory black bird’, I explained by pointing out that humans don’t like black things. I explained that I could trick humans in loving his plumage by adding the rich palette of colours of an autumn Mountain Ash.

‘This branch has fresh green, bright orange and deep red, and will charm viewers in loving your monotonous black feathers. And if I use a diagonal composition, I can guide the viewer along the branch, climbing up from deep red, through the bright orange to sap green. After such a colourful journey, people don’t mind a bit of solid black. But to do that, I told Carrion Crow, I have to push you a little to one side, but that is okay. Reluctantly, Carrion Crow agreed.

My sparrow-hawk demanded to sit high and mighty on the top branch of a proud pine tree. The world of humans doesn’t interest him. He soars above it, looking down on our wars over oil, mass migration and our overheated, overpopulated world.

Sparrow-hawk knows he has this intricately textured and awesome coat of feathers, which makes fashion designers drool. Not much is needed next to such an eye-catching bird; two almost evenly-coloured pine cones complete the portrait. Sparrowhawk sat down just long enough for me to make a portrait, and, without so much as a ‘thank-you’, flew off to his own world, soaring high above ours.

Back to Ma.. In all three bird portraits you’ll notice considerable emptiness. My birds seem to look into this emptiness. What do they see? A suitable partner? Prey? Are they guarding their hidden nests? Are they exploring new horizons?

Ma is for you to fill in with your imagination, with your story-telling, your ornithological knowledge or poetry. But Ma can also be left open. We don’t need to fill in empty spaces with projections, trauma, words or sounds. Ma offers a thinking pause or escape from our train of thoughts.

Magpie, Carrion Crow and Sparrow-hawk understand Ma naturally. We are enchanted when we see a bird resting on a tree branch and we long to be like them: resting in Ma, accepting the here and now.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

@mindfuldrawing on Instagram

At Etsy.

Commissions for other themed Ma drawings are open.

Commissions your Kumamoto inspired Hanging Scroll with your family (symbolized by flowers, patterns and animals).

I invite you to have a look at my portfolio on Etsy and Instagram. You might like to watch the videos of me drawing in Etsy and Instagram too.