Patty Harpenau

 

Biography

Self styled creative jack-of-all trades Patty Harpenau is today expressive artist, writer, trainer and personal coach. Her 1959 start in life in the city of Amsterdam saw her passing secondary school exams at the Amsterdam Lyceum, leading a creative youth and moving to Jerusalem for her art and kabalah studies. Their successful completion then saw her exhibit work both in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and her return to Europe where her international career as artist took off. After an exhibition at Amsterdam’s Hilton Hotel, her renown blossomed and exhibitions at home and abroad faithfully followed.

Two years later another dream came true. Ms. Harpenau opened her first grand retrospective in the city of her youth. The same year saw the opening of another in Atlanta (USA). Leading national daily De Telegraaf dedicated an article in its weekend edition to her qualities and career. The story made headlines as months later she was still subject of articles and starring roles in TV talk shows. “From that day on,” she says, “my life changed. What was happening was something I had never considered possible.”

Her career developed rapidly. While in 1991 her paintings were dominated by primary colours and clear compositions, by 1993 her work had clearly further evolved. In that year she opened an exhibition in Blaricum (Netherlands) themed Back to Basics in which she sought to communicate how the pressure of success led her to search for depths in both herself and her paintings. Ms. Harpenau, who initially had made a name for herself with almost neo-Cobra compositions and sometime pop-art work in which she sought the child in art, became inspired by the aspect ‘woman behind the artist’. Her next exhibition Anima Mundi placed this squarely in the forefront.
 
In 1994 Patty Harpenau wrote her first book Blue for You (Blauw voor jou). In the same year she painted for her exhibition Drowning by Numbers in which she went looking for perfect simplicity. By 1995 her work was claiming attention because of its yet greater depth. An almost naive, playful character of old times had now made room for a mature, more personal character. 1995 also saw Ms. Harpenau celebrate her first five year lustrum as independent artist; reason for her to produce her silk screen print L’enfant du Soleil. She smiles, “I was always a child of the sun; this painting is my story as an artist.” Later on that year the successful exhibition Tarot and beyond received powerful reviews, art magazine Tableau for instance referring to her work as promising and mature. In 1996 Ms. Harpenau opened her much discussed show Jewish Document. Fifty paintings told stories of the Old Testament seen through the artistic eyes of a woman.

Since then Patty Harpenau has undertaken work for many leading organisations including ABN-AMRO bank, Amnesty International, SOS kinderdorpen, Unilever, Philips, Gamma and World Online. Her work has been or is being exhibited throughout the world with shows in Israel, Germany, the United States of America, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
 
In 1996 Ms. Harpenau received her licence from the Chopra Centre of Well Being in America and completed spiritual coaching studies in India. Returning to the Netherlands she opened her own centre ‘The Life Foundation’ (www.thelifefoundation.nl), the Dutch sister company of the Chopra Centre. The Life Foundation helps people and businesses unravel secrets of success. It helps people live and work in good health, in happiness and abundance, and enjoy stable relationships in optimal conditions of freedom and pleasure. Ms. Harpenau renders services both to organisations and private individuals. Her aim is to help people stay in strong mental shape and balance. Her workshops have introduced many clients to her unique approach.

Her books
In 2000 Ms. Harpenau published Between two Thoughts (Tussen twee gedachten), a course in meditation and the body of thoughts of the Chopra Centre. This book was followed by the best-seller Fitness for the Soul (Fitness voor de ziel) in 2002. The programme Spiritual Facelift (2003) followed to help participants gain insight into themselves and learn to accept who they were so to live in joy, authenticity and vitality.

In What would Love Do? (Wat zou liefde doen?) (2003) she continued her spiritual journey, one in which she is now being joined by more and more readers. In this book Ms. Harpenau used the eight codes of life of the Essenes, a Jewish order dating from the time of Christ.

 

In addition to spirituality, Ms. Harpenau also takes great interest in physical health and well-being. On her publisher’s request she wrote Food on your Mind (Ken je eigen Hoofdmenu). Instantly a bestseller it described a new way of looking at overweight. Her approach to slimming is comparable to that of a coach: simple yet revolutionary; averse to diets and focusing on the emotional aspects of foods. The method struck as a bombshell. In the same year she wrote the follow-up The Workshop, a slimming Course (de Workshop; een cursus in afvallen) which was followed by a book with life recipes called Feel Good Food. She trains companies, doctors, psychologists and experts in her method with exceptional enthusiasm and commitment. In 2006 she wrote her ninth book A World of Wonders (Een wereld van wonderen) - the most personal book of her career. She openly describes her parental home, her special relationship with her father, her paranormal gift and special people she has met in her life so far. Being an ambassador of SOS kinderdorpen (SOS Children’s Villages) she decided to donate the royalties of the book to building a new children’s home.
 
In 2006 for the first time Ms. Harpenau published a book with a co-author who happens to be not just any lady. Cherie Carter Scott is the author of If life is a Game, these are the Rules and a famous female coach in the United States with frequent appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show. Her book was translated into over 40 languages and for many weeks topped New York’s bestsellers’ list. The book Happy with Myself (Blij met mij) is available at Dutch and American bookstores. To promote it Ms. Harpenau is a frequent US visitor.
 
In spring 2007, on her publisher’s request, she wrote an exercise book for The Secret which carried answers to questions she had received from past course and workshop participants. Existential questions about illness, how to handle desires, responsibilities and self realisation but also world issues such as the global economy and world hunger. Here, Ms. Harpenau’s Deepak Chopra training and studies she had followed in India came into their own. She coaches readers into the essence of life.
 
Award
In 2007 Ms. Harpenau received the award Spiritual Star of the Year from the editor in chief of the monthly magazine Paravise. According to Paravise readers Ms. Harpenau earned the prize for her remarkable contributions to spirituality, and sharing knowledge, insights and understanding in the field.

In autumn 2008 The Life Codes was published - a special book addressing three world religions and seven life-changing codes that are the key to creation, abundance, healing and love. The first edition sold out in two months. Never before had the author received so much feedback on a book. (www.thelifecodes.com). In the Netherlands various work and study groups were set up spontaneously by enthusiasts learning from The Life Codes. With the worldwide copyrights now sold, Ms. Harpenau is travelling the world shedding more of her own inimitable spirituality on the life codes. The book is her passion because for the reader it contains a simple coaching technique to do exactly what man is supposed to do in this life: show the most beautiful and best that is in you.

In November the book’s sequel, Benjamin’s Tree (Benjamin’s Boom), will be published by Dutch publishers Ten Have.

International copyrights for Ms. Harpenau’s books are the property of The Life Foundation and sold by Mrs. Rebecca Winfield of Luxton Harris Ltd.  
 
Ms. Patty Harpenau is currently involved in a television series and a book on divorce. 
 
The press on The Life codes
“This beautifully illustrated book takes its reader on a quest in which Jewish-Christian religion meets spirituality. Seven well annotated biblical stories are recounted on the basis of the figures of God, Adam, Eve, Joshua, Miriam, Moses and Abraham. Each chapter ends with a summary and guide to the reader to apply what they have read in their own life. A prologue, intermezzo and epilogue offer further background on the storyteller’s life. Each page has a picture or has been printed on one, giving the book a chic tone. The author is familiar from the 'The secret of The Secret'* and is owner of the Dutch (Deepak) Chopra Centre and offers spiritual self-help training.”
www.bol.com

“This book will warm you, it will refresh your soul,
It will open your heart and put your mind at peace,