Painting with Coffee

A feast for the Senses .

My interest in painting with coffee began in a strange way. 
I wanted some paper with an antique finish for a drawing.  I tried various techniques but they weren’t what I wanted.  My attention drifted to the espresso I was drinking and I decided to experiment.  After brushing over the paper with water I sprinkled little droplets of coffee onto the surface.  The colours were perfect and it produced such a natural effect.  

After successfully using coffee to create an antique finish to paper I decided to experiment with different surfaces 
Canvas was great and hardwearing. 

I prepared the surface with Gesso.  
the coffee was easy to manage.  Interesting effects could be achieved by painting or dabbing with water.
Once finished I sprayed the painting and the back of the canvas with ‘Plastispray’. 

My canvas portraits are hung in our kitchen and are resistant to the steam and condensation. 

Painting on white ceramic plates was very different.  I liked the way the coffee moved but I had to be very quick to check it and to decide what I was happy with.  The coffee dried very quickly.  Once dried the intensity could not be changed but mistakes were easy to delete. 
I sprayed the finished plates with ‘Plastispray’. 
The plates are good for hanging inside but not for external display.  

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