Une Vie d'Artiste Goes For a Second Cup

Erica Chappuis continues her coffee paintings with a larger project in mind. Some form of manipulation and collage. I'm very excited to see what she makes of the already beautiful works of art.

"I feel I am only now getting the feel of working with the coffee, as it really does have a nature all its own."

Drawing inspiration from vintage photographers such as Edward S. Curtis and his famous photos of Native Americans, Imogen Cunningham, Edward S. Curtis, Margaret Bourke-White and Edward Weston I dare you to compare and consider the evolution of the the photographs to painting and then to the much larger worked planed by Erica. This medium is very organic and it seems to me that Chappuis's process is also very organic in philosophy and application.

"I doubt that one could pick out the original photo from my painting, as it has changed a lot in the process."

I'll keep an eye out for post on the larger works intended for the paintings by Erica posted last week and this.

"Okay, next week, for sure, I start putting these paintings through the collage process."

In the mean time enjoy her images and visit her own Blog with much much more to offer in regards to her work which is very much worth the time.

Some information about Erica Chappuis from her personal Website . . . The Art of Erica Chappuis

Erica Chappuis was born in Washington DC . She began taking yearly summer courses at the Corcoran School of Art and studying with independent Washington area artists at age thirteen. In high school she was selected for a special, experimental course in portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution - the first of its kind offered by the Smithsonian.

Chappuis graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She traveled to Switzerland, where she married, and thus gained dual nationality.

Chappuis has been a practicing artist ever since, specializing in erotic and sensual subjects. She is represented in many private collections. Museum representation includes the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., the Erotic Art Museum in Barcelona, Spain and the collection of the Kinsey Institute for Research, Gender, and Reproduction, Indiana University. Her work has been featured on the PBS television programs, "Video Detroit" and "Backstage Pass". She is listed in several books, including erotic art books, and Marquis' "Who's Who in American Women".

Coffeeart - The Factory, Coffee on Paper ACEO

At An Art Work A Day where Trine Meyer Vogsland has this idea . . .

"Here I will try to take you with me on my journey exploring art. That means that I will show you both my successes and some of my failures."

A recent post Coffeeart - The Factory, Coffee on Paper ACEO depicts just what the title says . . .



Cofeeeart - The Factory,
coffee on paper,
ACEO

Check out the rest of her work at An Art Work A Day. All Bio info is there as well as some very fun art.

MLK In You Coffee?

Javaman, who sells his coffee paintins on Etsy, might not put MLK in his coffee but he did paint Martin Luther King Jr. using coffee as a medium.He entitled the painting aptly . . . "Dr.King."

I discovered a small brag no a Blog called CrochetCastle Memoirs of a Crochet Diva
. She considered her post ". . . a shameless promotion . . ." but I hardly consider promoting those you love and believe in a shameless act. My hat is off to this Crochet Diva!

Dr. King is 16x20 coffee painting on canvas and was inspired by the famous"I have a dream" speech given by Dr. King.

"There is not much more to say about this painting other than it is really nice to look at in person and the photos do not do it justice."

Rob West, Javaman, is a 35 year old coffee painter who loves coffee so much that he has decided to begin a line of coffee art. His goal is to move on creating art on a serious level.

"I like to also use ink to paint with in my coffee paintings. As of right now my main focus is painting people."

Much as I had discovered with my own coffee paintings at No Such Animal Studios, Mr. West has sealed his painting with acrylic. I've found that Damar varnish has a better effect as it is not as porous but the necessity for sealing against mold and reconstitution by humidity is a must!

If Rorschach Used Coffee . . . Benoist

Tom Benoist "Beansy" of Rhinocrash painted paper towels of all things the Summer of 2007! What I find most interesting about this project is most people could not figure out that the support was actually paper towels. Very fun. Very Cool. I really like the abstract nature of this very temporary organic collection of work.

"Having them on the wall for a while was a lot of fun. They are a bit like those old psychologist ink blots so it was interesting to hear which ones people liked or even better hated. :) Strangely most people don't guess the paper source (you have to look pretty closely)"

It's very true. some of Tom's work has a Rorschach feel to them. Some have a grain of the wood feel to them. A few of the pieces struck me as having a marble or petrified wood quality and quite a few gave off a mystical almost anthropological aire as if from some Mayan or tribal village in Africa.

"Okay, waste and nature's inevitable reclaiming of the earth aside working with strange media like this makes you look kinda crazy to your friends."

I'm not sure if crazy is how I would look at Tom. Being temporary art and having a meaning beyond the disposable and cultural impact is what increases their actual value far beyond the materialistic one.

If Tom's friends look at him a little crazy it's OK. He's in good company. Take Food sculptures by Jim Victor, "Sculptor-Constructivist," redefine what playing with food is all about. Seriously take a look at his work! Or maybe take a look at the mystical beauty of Sand painting to the fragile spectacle of Ice Sculpture. Even barista latte or coffee art. All very temporary. All very wonderful. Crazy? Maybe but then again . . .

Back on May 12th, 2006 I wrote an entry called What Came From the Artists Was Very High Concept. It was about a show, Menu: edible elements of art, at the Kirkland Arts Center feature some very incredible artists and works created from food products. Take a look at some of images from the show. Again, very crazy people with very crazy artwork!

One of the goals of this show and the Kirkland Arts Center was to show contemporary art in an area that historically hasn’t embraced it. This was approached with the idea of using food as the theme so everyone could connect with the concept.

One of the exhibits at the Menu show I noticed the individual sculptures not only had food in them but each one was a different type of diet. The furthest to the left was a very health diet and the furthest to the right was packed full of Dick’s burgers and greasy fries! To go even further the health diet sculpture had a resemblance to a healthy hourglass figure while the further to the right you go the more bulbous and unflattering the sculptures became. I loved this piece and yes! It was crazy.

This article isn't about the Menu show but about some very cool and maybe crazy artwork created out of temporary materials using coffee as the medium. I wanted to shed some light on what a lot of folks don't know about or haven't considered true art and that is the beauty of something that is done for the artistic value and not for the consideration of monetary value. It's created. It's exists for a period of time. It conveys a message or aesthetic or concept. Then it passes into memory.

Tom's work, or at least the fish eye images of them will stay with me for some time. Thanks for sharing Tom!