Artistic coffee

Alongside some of the more traditional artistic mediums of ink, watercolours and oil, coffee is increasingly being used to create stunning works of art.

Recently, Lauren Orscheln, a New York-based artist, showcased her work during an event in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with the majority of her works composed via a cup of the much (and sometimes unfairly) maligned instant coffee.

A browse through her back catalogue showcases that her use of coffee has been going on for some while, with some stunning results.

Originally pointed in the direction of experimenting with the drink as an artistic form five years ago by a former art teacher, Orscheln initially used a hair-dryer to create a sculptural effect before moving on to using it within her figurative paintings.

The essence of New York City life and culture is clearly exhibited in her work as the melting pot lifestyle is replicated by more abstract figures, with lines and shades cascading together.

But the use of coffee in art is not a new phenomena, though Orscheln certainly is taking coffee paintings down a slightly different path to some of her predecessors.

Unlike Orscheln, other artists who paint with coffee started doing so by sheer fluke.

Perhaps the most famous exponent of this form is Karen Eland who reproduces famous historical paintings such as The Last Supper, The Mona Lisa or The Starry Night with an espresso palette and some not-too-subtle references.

Another marquee name is Godfrey Caleb who, like Eland, discovered coffee painting by accident when he spilt his drink and began to aimlessly doodle with the liquid whilst on the phone. Shortly after that ‘eureka’ moment, the former architect began focuses on beautiful landscapes and portraits.

Then there is the Flilpino artist Sunshine Plata who uses a complex mix of coffee powders and water in order to create various shades of brown which form the backdrop of her landscape pictures. Given that coffee has a strong tradition in The Philippines – production and export was once a major industry in the nation – the reasoning behind her decision to dabble with the drink was that it is cheaper than conventional paint! We think the results are much better too.

No longer a high-school excuse as to why the homework was not done, coffee on canvas is producing some wonderful pieces with, we would imagine, some wonderful aromas.