Purusha Geelen - Van De Graaf

‘THE STARS IN YOUR EYES REFLECT THE SUNSHINE IN YOUR HEART’
My device…

My whole life is a stream of experiences. Nice and bad experiences. That’s the duality of life. The beautiful moments of the experiences of Oneness, the moments of bliss, where my pointers. They showed me the way how I could live my life to the fullest. Connecting heaven and earth by the heart. My heart pointed me the way by using the inner instruments: intuition, sense of discrimination, thinking and feelings. I learned by experience how to ‘ play’ these instruments, how I could be more honest to myself.

Those moments of bliss are now the flow of life itself in daily life: with my children, my husband, my work, in contact with others… How? Here is my story:

By birth the awareness of the inner light was already gone. There was darkness everywhere... The darkness of the unconsciousness of the parents. They were marked by their experiences. They couldn’t listen to their own story behind the thin surface of daily life. They loved their fear more then Love itself.

Their child, born the 14th of April 1960 in a small country near the sea, was different. That child desperately searched for the Love. Found peace in classical music, in stories that pointed to the inner self, in the colors that surrounded her…

I was that child.

BLISS

I can remember a moment of great bliss, of great Oneness that is connected with the sea. I was 8 years old and when I was on the beach something happened. An experience beyond feeling felt every time I visited the sea. I became one with the sea and with life itself! I felt the wideness, could span the world! I didn’t knew why and how it happened, it happened, felt familiar and it felt beautiful! Yet, this feeling always disappeared when I was no longer near the sea. The only thing that was left was that moment as a memory… A memory of a moment of Oneness.

I sensed that there had to be more. That there had to be a possibility to experience this every second of the day in my life. Knowing and living this experience where the bliss was pointing to. So I went searching…

I was eighteen years old when I walked with a group of friends on the beach. Suddenly it started to rain and thunder. We started to run looking for shelter and suddenly a flash of lightning ended up next to my feet! The flash of light ricochet of in another direction, happily! Instead of a great shock I felt another moment of beautiful bliss! Different from the other moments I remembered. This moment had to do with me, with something in myself! It felt as a ´wake up call´. A very strong one…Why? Why I felt this, I didn't know. I went on searching…

EYES

As I grew older I did what I was expected to do. I studied and found work. I thought I followed my heart but that same heart gave me signals that that wasn’t the case… yet! One evening I visited a grand-cafe with a band playing catching dance music. I wanted to dance but almost nobody was dancing. Almost, except a boy with some friends. I looked into his eyes and knew this was him! Through the eyes I recognized the Love! We became close friends for some years. His moment of bliss, of Oneness, was in Rouen, France. A moment of a second but with an everlasting effect: he phoned me in Delft, the Netherlands, and said to me he loved me with whole his heart! Within two hours I was in Rouen. By plain, paid with my last savings… Our Oneness that now already lasts for more then 15 years, is expressed in the poem I recited when the civil servant asked me the question if I wanted to be the lawful wife of my husband:

I see you
Your eyes meet my eyes
There are no feelings or thoughts
Only the eyes
The eyes reflect the depth of our soul
We recognize it
It is far away and yet nearby
No feeling, thought or word can describe it
and yet it is there
Profound silence in this tender moment
Only the experience of infinity
There is no me and no you
I know I love you

'Yes I do'

The civil servant was astonished and …in heaven! He had never experienced such an answer.

DREAM

Another blissful moment appeared in a dream. A moment that had and still has a tremendous influence on my life and that of my husband and children. A dream that is connected with all our talents…

When I was on a cross point in my life and I didn’t know what to do with my talent as an artist, I dreamed I had to establish a company. A company that should be given the name ‘De Witte Lelie’, the white lily. Not only the name was given but the dream also gave me the meaning of the name and by that the purpose, the aim and… my responsibility to use my talents!

The roots of the lily are growing deep down into the dark mud: You have to be rooted deep into life and dis-cover all your unconscious thoughts and actions.

The lily grows towards the water: Growing in life is listening to your feeling. To hear all your stories of life. To follow your own path.

And finally the lily grows towards the sun and a beautiful flower will blossom: Everyone wants to grow towards the inner house which is Love and blossom.

You can imagine that the meaning of this dream was a pointer to go deeper. To listen totally to my heart. This gave me a power that is unimaginable. A power that is invisible and at the same time visible through my talents: the paintings, the poems, the designs, everything I do.

What you are is what you create… My ‘wake up call’ can become someone others ‘wake up call’. My bliss, my experience of Oneness, are invitations for others. I searched and I have found! You can search and find!

"My family was harmonious but because of your art it become more harmonious!”
“I'm coming home again!”
"We never felt so at ease in a building!"
“When I stepped into the hall I felt a power of 'here is the warmth of life, here you can BE totally yourself!”

LOVE

You and I are connected! For everyone is a place on this earth otherwise you weren't born! It can become a heaven on earth because of our Oneness. Listen to your heart, listen to the Love…

Love does not force
yet it is forceful.
Love is never not there
yet people crave for it every second of their existence.
Love is not material
yet is materializes itself.
Love is selfless
and yet it serves every purpose of the Self.
Love knows no fear
and yet it evokes fear.
Love is like the green grass, fresh after a spring rain.
As strong as grass for which even concrete bows.
Love is strong as a rock
and transparant as the air you breathe.
Love is free
and yet it is unfree.
Love knows no ties
and yet is forges ties.
Love
IS
as clear as a diamond
radiant in the sunshine.

Purusha van de Graaf

From childhood I paint, write and model. In 1978 I had the choice to study art at the ‘Rietveld Academie’ Art Academy in Amsterdam or to follow a study becoming a welfare worker. I choose the last one and finished it positively in 1984. However, after a few years of working experience, my passion was to strong. I founded an art gallery in 1989 ('De Witte Lelie' (see my website )) and since 1992 I sell and exhibit my own work. My way of living ánd working originates from the path I followed from 1983 to 1993, the path of Advaita Vedanta: the ‘non-dualistic path beyond knowledge’. About this path I give lectures and write articles.

Shell (Rijswijk,NL); Unilever Research (Vlaardingen, NL); Concord Library (U.S.A.); Stichting Elisabeth Ziekenhuis (Tilburg, NL); Hewlett Packard (Amstelveen, NL); Solvay Duphar (Weesp, NL); KPMG (Amstelveen, NL); Ministry of Traffic (The Hague, NL); Gallery De Witte Lelie (Delft, NL)(1998-2002 permanent); Broadway Gallery (New York, U.S.A.); Town Hall (Zoetermeer, NL); de Baak (Noordwijkerhout, NL); Arsenaal (Coevorden, NL); Shell Exploration (Rijswijk, NL).

Love don’t oblige to
and yet it oblige to…
Love is always there
and yet people search it every second of there existence…
Love can’t be seen
and yet it is seen …
Love is selfless
and yet it serves your self…
Love don't know fear
and yet it frightens people the most…
Love is as green as grass, after a rain in Spring
as strong as grass, even concrete has to make a way for it…
Love is strong as a rock
and transparent as the air we all breathe
Love is free
and yet it isn’t free…
Love has no bonds
and yet it bonds…
Love
IS
as clear as a diamond
sparkling in the sunlight.

DE WITTE LELIE BY JOURNALISTS

‘We want to create environments where people are at ease. Our strength is that our designs are built around people’
HAN VAN DER HORST, Leonardo Newsline, January 2005

‘Their work is a combination of architecture (he) and art (she). Their designs are sold all over the world, for example several ambassies. But that is not the point, Geelen says. “We are idealists. When people get a warm feeling by our work, we are satisfied.”
LARS OMLOO, Haagsche Courant, 23rd of March 2004

‘The power of colours and forms’ is the startingpoint of ‘De Witte Lelie’. Colours and forms influence us, unconsciously, strongly. They can make us joyful and can be inspiring, but also let us feel restless and depressive…’
KEES HAGENDIJK, Stedenbouw, tijdschrift voor stedenbouw, architectuur en binnenhuisvormgeving, March 2003

DE WITTE LELIE BY USERS

“We have never felt us so at ease in an office.”
750 EMPLOYEES of the office of a multinational (oil) where a interior project has been realised with wall-paintings, designed furniture and paintings.

"Everyone is surprised because of your art. It gives our team charisma!"
PROJECTLEADER’s reaction on the art project ‘Care for the Future’ in an office of Shell, The Hague (the Netherlands)

“It fits like a warm cloak.”
DIRECTOR after the restyling of the teacher’s room, Public Primary School ‘De Kleine Keizer’, The Hague (the Netherlands)


DE WITTE LELIE BY JURIES

‘The authentic way 'De Witte Lelie' designed an interior in the office of a multinational, expressing that the human being is important, made the jury decide to do so. By experiencing this importance, a company let their employees know by the design of an interior, that they mean these words and they appreciate the human being in all her, or his, diversity.’
JURY EMANCIPATIEPRICE HAAGLANDEN 1999

'The jury was impressed by the wealth of colours, a artistic submission.'
JURY COMPETITION 'LEVEnDE STAD' 2003

The jury strongly commended the breadth and diversity of the proposals (52), which addressed a wide range of concerns embracing historical as well as contemporary social and political perspectives on urban design and urban architecture.
JURY JAMES STERLING MEMORIAL LECTURES 2004

‘De Witte Lelie is unique because of the intention ‘to make the world more beautiful’.’
JURY ‘ZILVEREN OOIEVAARSPRICE’ 2005


PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

“What I feel, and because of that also know, is that her paintings have a positive effect on an office / house. The space becomes ‘warmer’. One feel him-/herself at ease and because of that there changes something within and that is what Purusha hopes to achieve with her work.”
Openingsspeech JEANNE VAN DER STRAATEN – HARLAND (Darling Expo)

“I don’t like the colour red, but your red is a different story!”
VISITOR GALERY

“Your work has radiance and historically the concept of ‘radiance’ originated in the Netherlands.”
Mgr. MARKÉTA PIžKOV€, art-historian

“I’ve seen a lot of works of art in my lifetime, in Africa, the U.S.A., South America…, but never such an art as that of yours! I’m astonished! You stick to the same ‘rules’ as I do when I work with wood for my statues, but you’re working on a white piece of canvas…”
VICTOR EDOVIC, artist St. Lucia

“I don’t like art… But not your art because it has a vision, a message.”
STUDENT WHO VISITED THE STUDIO

* De Witte Lelie received an honourable mention for the interior design of the office of Shell Services International by the jury of the Emancipation price for businesses 1999;
* Second price from the visitors of the Delftse Atelierroute 2000.
* Entries Competitions (f.e.): FX International Interior Design Award 2002 / 2005, James Sterling Memorial Lectures, Next Generation Prize, CITY aLIFE!, Silver Stork 2005 / 2006, L’oreal Prize 2006

Interior Design Magazine ‘VT Wonen’;
Life-style Magazine ‘Elegance’;
Spiritual Magazine ‘Onkruid’ & 'Happinez';
Business Magazine ‘Intermediair’;
Business Magazine ‘Delft Magazine’;
Town-planning / Architectural Magazine 'Stedenbouw, tijdschrift voor stedenbouw, architectuur en binnenhuisvormgeving';
Magazine ‘Leonardo Newsline’;
Business Magazine ‘View’;
several radio-interviews.

Amstel Lease (Utrecht, NL); BAM (Doorn, NL); Bank of Dutch Municipalities (The Hague, NL); Kas-Bank N.V. (Amsterdam, NL); Numico (Zoetermeer, NL); Medisch Esthetisch Centrum (Scheveningen, NL); Nederlandse Staatsloterij (The Hague, NL); TenneT (Arnhem, NL); Shell Services International (Leidschendam, NL); several (international) private arts-collectors (D, USA). Her work has also been bought by 14 Royal Dutch Embassies/ Consulates in (f.e.) Burkina Faso, Denmark, Ethiopia, India, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, United Emirates & the United States of America.

* Wall-painting for the foundation 'Red Den Haag', The Hague (NL);
* Art project 'Care for the Future' office SHELL, The Hague (NL);
* Art project in building ministry of Defence, Delft (NL);
* Art project Primary School ‘Het Startpunt’, The Hague (NL);
* Art project, Primary School ‘De Vlierboom’, The Hague (NL)

* Design interior former gallery 'De Witte Lelie', Delft (NL)
* Office multinational, Leidschendam, (NL): part of five office floors;
* 7 columns in ‘heart’ of office multi-national, Leidschendam (NL)
* Interior Primary School ‘De Kleine Keizer’, The Hague (NL);
* Design interior-design Ministry of Defence, The Hague (NL);
* Interior Primary School ‘De Bras’, The Hague (NL);
* Interior Primary School ‘Het Startpunt’, The Hague (NL);* Interior restyling 5 public schools, The Hague (NL).

* Ramses Square, Cairo (Egypt)
* ‘Meeting-point’ in housing area ‘Zuiderburen’, Leeuwarden (NL);
* Art-project for the Government Buildings Agency in Zwijndrecht (NL);
* Interior design & art-project for the University Hospital, Gent (Belgium);
* Design of a public space for the municipality, Uithoorn (NL);
* Interior design of the town-hall, Dongen (NL);
* Master-plan for art in the public space, Nieuwegein (NL);
* Art-project in the hospital ‘Rijnstate’, Arnhem (NL);
* Monument Tsunami-victims, Oslo (Noorway);
* Building ‘Zusters van de Liefde’, Tilburg (NL).

* Meditation courses (adults / young people);
* Several painting courses (children and adults);
* Management courses / workshops;
* Lectures 'The Power of Colours and Forms' (Rotary, Shell, Chamber of Commerce, Politicians, University Neyenrode, students clubs, private);
* Workshop ‘Inspirational Leadership’ (De Baak);
* Workshop Art and Culture for 75 young students.