Painting with java
Artist finds new ways to use her morning cup of joe
It is part of her daily routine and something that percolates through the rest of her day.
Wendy Morgan, 26, is probably looking at that cup of joe differently these days. In the last couple of months, Morgan has been producing art using the same coffee she enjoys every morning.
Since January, she has been using coffee creatively in her artwork as a substitute for the paints she usually uses.
“I was looking to paint with something that was a little different than paint,” said Morgan.
She was drawn to the art form after seeing some videos online. Intrigued by using coffee and attracted to the sepia tones of the work, Morgan started experimenting with it in January.
Painting with coffee works a lot like painting with watercolours, she said.
She can take any leftover coffee from a brew to use.
If she wants it a bit darker, she can boil it down until it reaches the shade she is looking for. Instant coffee is also a great time saver for it.
“I’ve found boiling down coffee in different ways will bring different textures, and using different brands will create different feelings,” said Morgan.
The last number of weeks Morgan has been doing her best to keep busy, as the regulations around the lockdown have had an economic impact on her work.
In a normal summer season, her time would be spent jumping from one town’s summer festival to another painting the faces of children. Now, with many of those festivals cancelled, she has a hole in her schedule.
Morgan is hoping to ease some of that burden by selling her coffee work. To help with that, she and her partner, Daniel Efford, have created a Facebook page called Where the Coffee Things Are.
On it, she posts links to her work, and live-streams painting shows — Efford often plays piano in the background.
“I like the atmosphere of nice chill piano music and coffee painting,” said Morgan.
Efford likes it, too. He especially doesn’t mind the increase in the amount of coffee being produced.
“It is a complete sensory experience as well,” he said. “Whether you want to put (your) phone down and listen to the piano or you want to take a look and see how the art is created.
“No matter how you want to consume it, there are different ways to do it.”
When the pandemic is over and society returns to some semblance of normalcy, Morgan hopes she will be able to take that online show and move it to another locale.
She likes the idea of painting with coffee in a coffee shop.
“I really wish I could be played in a coffee shop,” said Morgan. “I’d really love to do a live show in a coffee shop.”