Coffee Shop Conversations – The Series

Greetings I recently realized that I had never done a blog post on my “Coffee Shop Conversations” series that I created a few years ago.  And, I thought it would be fun to see them all in one place.

Series Background.

A bit of an explanation first, though.  I like to work in a series in order to explore a subject a deeper.  Put another way, sometimes one painting is not enough to say everything I like to say.  So, instead of jamming everything into one painting, I create multiple works.

And, this particular series of paintings was inspired by a visit to a coffee shop with my husband and a niece.  While we were at our table chatting, I noticed a group of people as they came in, sat down to a table and immediately brought out their smart phones.   I was amused; it seems that the people on the other end of the line were as much a part of the conversation as the people at the table.

The Paintings.

And so, Coffee Break Conversations was the first painting in this series. Coincidentally, I used a primary color scheme (yellow, blue, and red).

Old School, New School was the second painting in the series. With this version, I wanted to portray new media next to old media.  My friends are at a coffee shop, enjoying a reading break.  Old school is reading a traditional hard cover book; new school is reading from her laptop screen.  As an echo, I added two different kind of coffee cups: the old school porcelain cup and the new school paper cup.

Now, on to Coffee at Black Cat Café  was the third in the series.  Here, again, my three friends at the Black Cat Cafe are in their own worlds.  I find it interesting how we can be together yet separated by our electronic devices.  Ah, but friends are enjoying a cup of coffee together.

Finally, the fourth painting in the series is “Hang Up & Talk To Us”.  In this version, the woman closest to the viewer is distracted by text messaging.   Her friends at the table wish she might hang up the phone and talk to them.  

And, Now?

This project was started in 2015.  Now, a few years later, I find myself being just like the women in my own paintings.  When my husband and I got to a coffee shop, chances are we will both pull out our smart phones and use them.   However,  we sometimes tell each other how the game of hearts or solitaire is going.  Or share what read online.  Funny, in an odd sort of way, how those little phones have changed our lives.