Reflection: Coffee. By Paz (Entry #1)
This past weekend I put on a one day pop up Solo Art Show based around Coffee at Torque Coffee a local coffee shop in San Diego. I kept a sketchbook which I used coffee as the primary medium. I took my time with this concept and tried to give each entry in the sketchbook it's own unique feel. I want to really explore the creative range of coffee beyond flavor. Here's where we're at so far:
I knew I needed a unique sketchbook for this unique project. Pentalic is a brand of sketchbook I've been purchasing almost since the beginning of me learning to draw. I always enjoyed their uniquely sized sketchbooks as well as the quality of their paper. I've yet to encounter a medium their paper can't handle. They are not sponsoring me or anything I'm simply saying I dig them. So, I saw this a good opportunity to try out their 6 x 12 mixed media 'Nature Sketch' sketchbook. The funky size inspired me to look beyond the drink to see coffee as more of an art tool and probably more importantly as a new way to express myself creatively. My theory being that it's important to keep learning and trying new forms of art in this stage of my journey. I knew the paper could handle the coffee because I've used this paper for much crazier mediums.
If I had to describe coffee as an artistic or creative medium I'd say it's closer to watercolor more than anything else or ink as a close second when it becomes more like sludge. The very first thing I noticed with those early sketches was not only how beautiful coffee's color range was but also how wide! Seeing such a vast color range inspired me to search more into images I thought could be interesting. I didn't want to just paint people drinking coffee. I wanted to see what the color could do on it's own. I'm lucky enough to own a set of very fancy Japanese ink brushes that a family friend, Mara, brought back for me from when she lived in Japan. These brushes handle ink and watercolor like a dream and offer the best control compared to other ink brushes I've used so I figured they could also handle the coffee. I brewed some coffee to keep in my ink jar and decided to go for something more familiar to myself.
I don't drink coffee. I never liked the taste, or the way it made me feel apart from the lovely scent I don't really have much thought on coffee in general so it was easy for me to find thinks I love that aren't associated with the drink.
Birds are go to for me. I love birds. I love their beautiful and gentleness combined with unlimited freedom and brutal strength. After this early sketch I immediately became comfortable with the coffee. As I continued to sketch I found myself growing my own unique love with coffee. The beautiful smell combined with the gorgeous color really inspired me.
The following sketches are some of my favorites from the sketchbook:
The more I continued to work the more I wanted to explore mixing watercolor with the coffee but after a few pieces I made using simple instant coffee I began to wonder if the quality or type of coffee will change the color or depth of the pieces.
I was growing more and more comfortable as I studied the substance of coffee more I began to think about a hook. How do I make this truly stand out? How do I not only create beautiful art that satisfies myself but on top of that how do I create some sort of sensory experience that will help contribute to a moment people can connect themselves with my art? It slowly began to make sense to me.
I had started to do business with a local company by the name of 'Bizarre Bazaar Vending Machines' who specialize in bringing creative artistic and artisan items to the public through the use of colorfully decorative vending machines where anyone can purchase items made from local artists, artisans, and small businesses.
I was assigned to a vending machine in a coffee shop known as 'Torque Coffee' and that's really when everything began to click together for myself.
The concept hit me fast and hard: 'Checking out art made from the same coffee you are drinking'. How fun is that?
After working on a few more sketches with this concept in mind I turned my attention to 'Torque Coffee' and their wonderful owners and staff. Not only did they love the concept but on top of hosting my very own One Day Pop-Up Art Show they also offered up some of their very own 'Demi-Drop' 1/2 Caf. coffee which is a Honey Mango, Fruit Punch flavored inspired coffee. I couldn't wait to get to work.
I decided on doing a few more sketches with The Demi Drop coffee just to really get familiar with not only the color but the strength of the coffee and also with the smell, the taste and feel of the coffee so that it can influence me completely.
Any nerves I may have had when I started working with this coffee immediately went away when I started working with it. The color alone is gorgeous. Almost red in hue but still within that range of brown so it can still communicate as coffee provided a very unique look to all the pieces I sketched out in my sketchbook.
I truly love working with this coffee. Beautiful smell, beautiful color, beautiful substance. It's really that simple.
I was having a ton of fun creating the line work. I specifically the contrast between Torque Coffee's Demi Drop the soft red brown color and the deep black color of Posca's PC-1M 0.7mm Acrylic Bullet Shaped Pen. The bold color reminded me of working on comics again and provided a very clean look the pieces. I also grew fond of combining the coffee with Tombow ABT's 837 Red Ink Brush Pen. The slight bleeding from the red ink of the pen mixing with the light Demi Drop coffee provided a very unique style that has stuck around in my mind begging to be explored some more.
I was getting there. I knew what I wanted, I had concepts bouncing around in my head and with everyone at Torque Coffee giving me creative freedom to express myself I was ready to move forward to create some show worthy pieces.
Before that I had one last thing to choose: The Paper. What paper was I going to use to tie this whole concept together. I love paper. Again the range as far what types of paper are out there is almost endless. I knew I wanted something similar to the Pentalic Nature Sketch paper but I wanted that sort of brought everything together and had a little more texture. I began to look through my extensive collection of paper I have available to myself and found:
First of all, you can never go wrong with Canson and they also do not sponsor me. They're just awesome. But I also wanted to find some paper that would help highlight and compliment the coffee. In short: I wanted truly show off the beauty of the color of brown and it's creative range.
This collection of Canson papers that celebrate Earth Tones was exactly what I was looking for. A gorgeous selection of brown toned papers to show of the beauty of my brown coffee.
I was ready.
I gathered some final references and then I spent the rest of the month creating...
I'm often asked: 'How long do you normally spend on pieces?'
I don't usually think of art in that way. Every piece grows at it's own pace. Some come to my mind, and are out in the world within mere hours of their creation off to tell their own story. Others take longer to grow, they need more layers, more care, more subtext. There is no right or wrong way there is simply process. Some are ready to go, some need to spend time at home and some may never leave your side. You gotta' love them all... even the ugly ones.
I grew more and more proud with each piece. I fell in love time and time again. I am proud of my art and this journey I am just beginning. I know I've started something I'm going to want to continue to explore and build on.
The response was overwhelming for everyone with 4 sales being made the day of my Pop Up show. I was blown away. For those that missed it never fear for this is merely the beginning and I plan on continuing to explore this concept and story in many ways.
Thank you for reading!!
I hope you have enjoyed this first entry. I will be continuing to add entries as I continue to make breakthroughs with this concept and new creative style.
For more of my art you can follow me on:
Instagram: @art_by_PAZ
Facebook: Facebook.com/artbypaz
Threads: @artbypaz
Bluesky: @artbypaz.bsky.social
Thank you to everyone who read my little article, thank you everyone who came to the Pop Up Show, thank you to everyone who contributed to any of my art in anyway, and thank you anyone who has purchased any art from me it is with all your combined kindness that I am able to continue to grow into the visual storyteller I would like to one day become.
I'll leave you with this short video featuring all the pieces I created for the Coffee. By PAZ One Day Solo Pop Up Show and a list of thank yous and credits.
-PAZ 4/2/2025
Thank you to:
Figure Study Models in Sketchbook: Angelica Kvasnitsya, Carla Guetta Cohen, Jessica Werheim, Loriane Rizzo, Luna Bonilla Duque, Eva Adams, Kerrie Fewings Meikle, Hana Pedrazzi, Kaitlyn Hutchins and Danielle Slemons.
Materials: Torque Coffee, Pentalic, Canson, Posca, Mara Capella, Tombow, NesCafe, Staedlter and Artists & Crafstman Supply.
Torque Coffee Owners & Staff.
