I paint using acrylics on canvas and have done so for years. But lately I have started experimenting with coffee. I mean, I have started experimenting with brewed coffee as a pigment to paint with. I paint with coffee on paper.
“My Angel” by Aya Katz Coffee on paper
I originally bought the paper to use with acrylics, but the paper is much more absorbant than canvas, and my method of prepainting with latex acrylic paint did not work with this paper.
I reasoned that the paper would probably work better with water colors, but I was certainly not going to invest in a new medium.
I have been watching other artists paint with water color, and I like how translucent water color can be and how it seems to dissipate gradually.
Then one day I had coffee that had grown cold and I dipped a brush in it and started painting.
Painting with coffee is a little like painting with water color, as the other main ingredient in the coffee I drink is water, besides the coffee grounds. The main difference is that there is only one color.
“High Anxiety” by Aya Katz Coffee on paper
I have found that if you leave the coffee out for a few days, gradually the water evaporates, and then the coffee pigment is stronger.
I can go back to an older coffee painting and add stronger color to certain areas, once the water has evaporated. This can create greater contrast in certain key spots in the coffee painting.
There are many advantages to painting with coffee on paper. Paper is less expensive than canvas. Leftover coffee really does not cost me anything, as I would otherwise have thrown it out. So economy is definitely a consideration. But my favorite reason for using coffee is that it is non-toxic.
I do not let Bow, the chimpanzee, paint with acrylics because he likes to taste everything, and acrylics are toxic. But it is perfectly safe to let him paint with coffee. He certainly does enjoy his painting sessions!
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