"For you," says Josef Küpper as he says goodbye and hands the guest one of his pictures. His hearty laugh makes it clear how good it makes him feel to give someone a present. How happy he is. And how proud he is. He has every right to be. After all, not many people are still as productive at 90 as this petite man. What's more, with pictures like this one, he has managed to get his worst enemy under control: alcohol. Josef Küpper, who everyone just calls "Jupp", has been "sober" for almost 20 years thanks to his painting.
On this day, Jupp Küpper is still working on new paintings with Michael Plöger in the studio at Haus Mühlgrund in Verl in the district of Gütersloh. Once a week, the painter from Bielefeld comes to the Bethel facility for chronically dependent people with multiple impairments; the artistic programme is made possible by donations. At each meeting, Michael Plöger paints a portrait of Küpper; over the years, this has resulted in an extensive collection. Working together also enriches him. "Jupp has tremendous energy, great inner strength and huge passion," reports Michael Plöger: "His feelings are transferred one-to-one to the paper."