Dutch artist Peet Wessels might not call it an obsession, but with over 100 images of windmills in her home, it's clear she's a big fan -- her walls practically whirl with admiration. Now Wessels, who rose to fame by painting windmills on the mill's used canvas sails, is taking it one step further. She is training to become a real-life miller -- someone who operates and maintains a windmill -- joining a growing number of women in what was once seen as a man's world.
It was a blustery afternoon at De Heimolen, an ancient wheat mill in Rucphen-Bosschenhoofd near the southern Dutch city of Breda. Perched some 10 metres (about 32 feet) on one of the four wings of the mill, built in 1866, Wessels tied canvas over the wooden slats. She then scarpered down and ran around the structure to release a brake to set the creaking blades in motion.
"You cannot have a fear of hights if you want to be a miller," Wessels told AFP, dressed in sturdy boots, jeans and a hoodie bearing the insignia of the Dutch Guild of Millers. For almost two years now, Wessels, 59, has been following the ancient course on how to become a miller, joining some 2,000 others in the Netherlands, famous for its clogs, cheese and..
. windmills. Wessels believes she is the only woman miller in the North Brabant province, a short hop from one of the country's most iconic windmill locations at the nearby Kinderdijk.
In all, there are some 200 woman millers around the Netherlands, she added, mostly based around the central .