Congratulations to our 2023 Founder's Choice Award: Vero Stewart and 'The Naturalist's Bandana'! I (Kula Founder Anastasia) am tasked with the impossible job each year of selecting the Founder's Choice award. This year, I selected Vero's piece because there was something that felt so familiar and magical about her whimsical drawings. As I looked at the design - I noticed that there was so much depth contained within the image - sea creatures, clouds, birds, plants and stars - all important and interconnected parts of the universe itself. One of my favorite passages from Thích Nhất Hạnh says this better than I ever could:
“We cannot conceive of the birth of anything. There is only continuation. Please look back even further and you will see that you not only exist in your father and mother, but you also exist in your grandparents and your great grandparents. As I look more deeply, I can see that in a former life I was a cloud. This is not poetry; it is science. Why do I say that in a former life I was a cloud? Because I am still a cloud. Without the cloud, I cannot be here. I am the cloud, the river, and the air at this very moment, so I know that in the past I have been a cloud, a river, and the air. And I was a rock. I was the minerals in the water. This is not a question of belief in reincarnation. This is the history of life on Earth. We have been gas, sunshine, water, fungi, and plants. We have been single-celled beings. These are not superstitious things. Every one of us has been a cloud, a deer, a bird, a fish, and we continue to be these things, not just in former lives.” - Thích Nhất Hạnh
About the Artist: Vero Stewart
Vero is Cuban-American illustrator and comic artist transplanted from Florida to New Hampshire. Her work explores the bizarre, colorful wonders of nature through a Latina lens. She is known for her vibrant gouache and ink illustrations. She is the creator behind Field Guide to Wonder, an ongoing magazine about the things that make life worth living.
She also sews, quilts, knits, and can lick her elbow.
You can find her website here: https://verostewart.com/
And her instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kineticradio/
About Kula Cloth®:
Kula has these unique features that make it an extremely intentional piece of gear:
- guaranteed super powers
- super absorbent (absorbs 10x its weight in water!) and soft
- advanced silver-infused, antimicrobial fabric
- eco-friendly non-toxic materials (Bamboo Viscose, Cotton, Organic Cotton, Polyester)
- durable and waterproof 'clean' side so your hand doesn't get wet
- easily snaps to backpack using plastic snaps
- 'double snap' allows cloth to hang while folded in half (so it doesn't touch pack and/or get dirty on the trail)
- easy to clean or rinse and quick to dry
- retro-reflective thread detail for locating it at night with your headlamp
- size is approx 6x6 inches
- weight per cloth is .63oz
- proudly made in the USA
For more information about use/care, please read our Kula FAQ here.
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