With much joy I designed this Ex Libris or book-plate in Art Nouveau or Jugendstil style. I consulted art books that I had almost forgotten about and I enjoyed updating my knowledge of the Art Nouveau movement. I decided to draw a tree, a window for (your) name, hills, a stream, and of course some embellishments.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Owner of http://www.mindfuldrawing.com
At Etsy
Designing Celtic interlace is fun; making an Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) corner design is as exciting.
Art Nouveau added beauty to our world between 1890 and 1910. Both Jugendstil and Celtic patterns were inspired by natural forms and structures, particularly the curved and intertwined lines of plants and flowers. What Celtic design has more than Jugendstil are Celtic animals like boars, horses, and birds. Jugendstil used more shell shapes. What I love about both is that one has to make an effort to understand the designs. Although they look instantly beautiful and fascinating, one can spend extra time to ‘unlock’ what can be seen in these natural patterns. Did I just see an owl? Or was it a horse-head? Flowers seem to come and go, an organic flow of natural forms that tell us a story. Perhaps a story of a woodland walk, or of a floral bouquet one gives to a friend. Or perhaps we are looking at a story of a beach walk, collecting shells. Life is like that and our dream-world is like that: we are witnessing a flow of events.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
At Etsy
at Bloglovin
