How often have you spilled coffee on your table? If you are one of the unfortunate clumsy ones, turning that spilt coffee into art will seem like a great idea. Artist Trishna Patnaik is going to cultural centres in Puducherry training students in just that.
Patnaik will be teaching how to make landscapes- using coffee powder, water and brushes on a cartridge sheet —as it is the best way to display a range of tones and gradation. “Coffee painting also works best to create an old-timey effect, like that of a ghat or ruins of a fort,” she explains. The only problem, she claims, is how sticky it can get. It’s a messy business but “as long as you keep adding enough water to the coffee paste, you should be fine.” The students will be taking home the painting they make at the end of the three-hour session. According to Patnaik, storing them is just like storing any other painting —by adding a coat of varnish.
Patnaik herself is an established painter, practising the skill for over 14 years, experimenting with forms like charcoal, acrylic and watercolour. Coffee isn’t the only tasty beverage she’s turned into art: she has also held workshops on painting with red wine. “I started painting with coffee because I wanted to learn something new. That was eight years ago… Once I started enjoying it, I thought I might as well spread the knowledge,” she says. One need not be a painter to attend her classes. Much like how she taught herself the skills of painting, she claims all a person needs is the interest to learn. “Anybody who’s interested in attending an intriguing session can join my workshop,” she says. Patnaik, who has been taking coffee painting workshops for the past five years in major metro cities is holding one in this east coast town for the first time; she is in fact travelled from the west coast in Panaji, Goa where organised a workshop earlier this month.
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The overwhelming smell of coffee will hang low in the air, however, Patnaik guarantees the temptation to make yourself a cup will be forgotten as soon as you put the brush to the paper. “I get that question a lot, but once people get involved, the calming act of painting takes over you and your mind will no longer deviate towards anything else,” she quips.
The workshop is today at SITA centre from 3 pm to 6 pm and at La Casita on April 29, from 11 am to 2 pm. For details, call 9944016128/7639405194