Coffee Culture at Adobe . . . Ezju too!

A few days late but here is the skinny on Ezju’s Coffee Culture & Barista Latte exhibit opening on Friday, September 29th 2006.

As most of you know, Adobe Systems Incorporated makes wonderful graphics software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and much more. Keeping with the art mind set, the Adobe campus in Fremont (Seattle, WA) has an art gallery in their building housing the Adobe University. Ezju and his coffee paintings have the privilege of hanging at the Adobe U Art Gallery from September 29th through mid-November.

This show is for Adobe employees, contractors, guests, students and visitors but the general public can still view the works quite well from the glass curtain wall along the building front.

All in all it was a wonderful turn out! I would like to thank everyone who came to the opening of the show! I loved your questions and of course the compliments. If you have any more questions about the show, my work please feel free to contact me any time at ezju@nosuchanimal.net.

A special thanks to all the folks who worked on brining coffee culture to Adobe and all the help setting up the show.

A few humble cell phone photos (my digital camera died)

Korean Broadcast Service KBS flew out from L.A. out to Wilmington, N.C. to interview coffee artist, Ryan L. Lewis

"Korean Broadcast Service KBS flew out from L.A. out to Wilmington, N.C. to interview coffee artist, Ryan L. Lewis for an upcoming documentary film and shoot his art. The doc film is based on addictions / effects of caffeine & alcohol, funded by KBS The Korean Broadcasting Service. A demo on HD camera of how the art is created & an in depth interview was done."

This is the kind of thing I’m talking about! How cool is it that coffee art is becoming so relevant that a film crew would fly across the country to interview an artist about it?!

The subject matter of the documentary includes caffeine as an addiction. I’ve always jested about “Caffeine My Drug of Choice” and even thought fleetingly about its social impact in this context but never on the level of this film. This is a film I would like to see.

Part of what my art is about is observations of culture through coffee. The first series takes a look at the American lifestyle that has grown up around coffee culture in the past 15 years. Part of the American lifestyle is excess, abuse and addiction. This is not something that I have considered for my series but I will have to seriously reconsider this topic.

Congratulations to Ryan Lewis on the interview and his success with coffee art! For more information on Ryan and his work please visit his Web site at http://www.thecoffeeartcorporation.com

Ezju
ezju@nosuchanimal.net

www.nosuchanimal.net

Jean-Marie Peigna Not Lost But Missed

In a few posts on this Blog I asked for help to find some coffee artists who have been elusive. Professor Francisco Rivera was one of them and a reader pointed the Professor and his wife in my direction. I love the power of the internet! Another artist I was eagerly looking for was Jean-Marie Peigna; a coffee artist who has been working with coffee as a medium for a very very long time. I considered him the Grandfather of all coffee artists if there was such a thing.

I received an e-mail from Sabine Peigna, Jean-Marie Peigna’s wife. It’s sad to say that Jean-Marie passed away over a year ago.

Jean-Marie Peigna’s work was well documented in the United States on CNN, FOX 5 News and in Japan on TV ASAHI in the early 80’s. Long before most of us were even drinking coffee let along painting with it. His web site boasts a bibliography few artists have amassed. According to Sabine he may be considered the ancestor of coffee paintings; his whole life revolved around it.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of viewing Jean-Marie’s work please visit his web site at http://www.coffeepainting.com/

“Peigna's material of choice is coffee recycled; roasted, ground, liquefied for its extracts, the green bean is the sole and final element of this palette. Since his first encounter in 1980 in Colombia, coffee has been an epiphany for Peigna who has found in this "tool" the universal and spiritual values enshrined in the fruits of creation. As noble as earth itself, the dark, dense brown color shines with surprising luminosity and brilliance.

Peigna's paintings are charged of energy, and they captivate for the vitality they convey. They embody multi-formity, which is one the most distinguishing aspects of 20th century art. Peigna's work has been viewed internationally in gallery exhibitions.”

I would like to thank Sabine Peigna and offer her my condolences and gratitude.

Ezju

Edward Patrick Kranz (Ezju)
Artist/Designer
ezju@nosuchanimal.net
206.214.6338

No Such Animal Studios

PHKAKI MEDIA & DESIGN PHKAI ENTERTAINMENT
ezju@phkaki.com

In preparation - Coffee Artists Interviews!

In preparation for next years Arfé 2007 International Coffee Painting Exhibition interviews are being set up with the artists who have been invited. Starting this month phone interviews will take place with most of the artist while a few have opted for e-mail interviews to ease language barriers and international phone charges. As soon as all interviews are complete they will be posted here and on No Such Animal Studios Web site one a week for 12 consecutive weeks.

I’m very excited about this project for two main reasons. Getting to know the select few who have had the inspiration to use coffee as a medium and how their culture has influenced their art is very intriguing. For a few years now I have had a fascination with diverse cultures, communication, universal symbols, global information, and how these come together and sculpt the personality of cultures, communities and individuals. This project is a small step into both these interests.

In all fairness to the artists being interviewed I have e-mailed advanced questions to them so those who are going to be interviewed by phone have the same opportunity to review and contemplate the answers as those who are going to respond by e-mail.

The questions e-mailed out are the following:

Warm Up Questions:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
2. Where were you born, raised and live now?
3. How would you describe your childhood?
4. How would you describe your life now?
5. Tell us about your art training.
6. How would you describe your artistic style? Your artistic philosophy?
7. Which artist inspired you most? Which art movement?
8. Where do you feel an artists place is in society?
9. If money and availability were not an issue, what one painting would be hanging in your home?
10. When painting, do you listen to music or is it quiet? If music what kind/artist?
11. If given the opportunity, who in the world would you want to sit for a portrait by you? What 12. medium and style would you use?
13. Who is you favorite contemporary artist? Why?
14. Who is your favorite historical artist? Why?
15. What is your most remarkable personality quark?
16. What interest or hobbies do you have other than fine art?
17. How do you take your coffee or tea?
18. If a coffee roaster named a blend after you what would it be called? Would it be a light, medium or dark roast?

All Warmed Up Questions:

1. The obvious question: why coffee?
2. Describe your coffee "paint" making process.
3. What is your coffee painting technique?
4. What do you find most unique about coffee as an artistic medium?
5. Have you ever drank or tasted your coffee paint? Describe it!
6. Have you ever had or made others taste your coffee paint? Describe their reaction!
7. How do you think history books will look back on Arfé, coffee art, coffee painting, and coffee artists?
8. How do you want history to remember you and your contribution to the art world?
9. How do you want history to remember Arfé, coffee art, coffee painting, and coffee artists?
10. What significance does coffee play in your culture? Your life?
11. What cultural influences do you feel most impacted and/or are most reflected in your work?
12. Before I contacted you, how aware of other artists who use coffee as an artistic medium?
13. Do you think the recent proliferation of coffee artists around the world is Zeist Geist?
14. Some people think Arfé or coffee art/painting is just a novelty or quick passing fad. Do you believe this? Where do you see this movement going in the near and distant future?
15. Has commercial advertising, marketing and design had an impact on your art, subject matter and/or decision to use coffee as an artistic medium?
16. How do patrons and art admirers describe your work?
17. How do critics describe your work?
18. How as the media received you and your work?
19. What level of satisfaction and success have you had on a personal, social, spiritual, and commercial level with your art?
20. What is your life dream in regards to your art? Have you fulfilled it? If not how do you plan to reach it?
21. During interviews a local radio personality, Ichabod Caine on KMPS, ends his interviews with the question I leave you with. What is your very first child hood memory?

I hope to start posting the response and more information on the artists interviewed some time in October.

Ezju
No Such Animal Studios
ezju@nosuchanimal.net

Coffee Artists Blog - The Art Of Coffee Painting By Amita - Mira Chudasama

http://coffeepaintings.wordpress.com

Ah, another Blog dedicated to coffee painting and the artists who use coffee as an artistic medium! I love it! Please check out The Art Of Coffee Painting By Amita - Mira Chudasama . Very talented artists with our without coffee who have a lot to offer the art community and the world in general.

Angel & Andy keep a Blog at http://www.justcoffeeart.com/announcements.html with their exploits around the world and more coffee artist info.

Ezju
No Such Animal Stuidos
ezju@nosuchanimal.net