Ron Gaul explains how he came up with coffee art as a painting medium after he spilled coffee and noticed it had an interesting design. He also realized that different coffees had different hues and colors.
Coffee cups are seen in one of Ron Gaul's coffee-stained paintings at the Morgan Art Centre in Toledo on Monday evening.
The morning cup of coffee is an essential part of many lives in the Pacific Northwest. Ron Gaul, 43, Toledo, however, saw it as more than just that.
“I do sit there in the morning and stare at my coffee fumes trying to wake up,” said Gaul, over his coffee cup.
Gaul is one of many artists being featured in the 10th annual ARTrails studio tour, which began last weekend and concludes this Saturday and Sunday, as the self-proclaimed “Coffee Artist.”
Using homemade paints from coffee grounds, Gaul paints on watercolor paper and canvas.
“There’s no brilliance coming out of this mind, it just is what it is,” Gaul said. “It’s really just a controlled coffee stain.”
And ultimately, it’s just that: a coffee stain. The effect the coffee has on canvas or watercolor paper is almost exactly the same as it would have on a shirt.
The difference is that Gaul makes it into something beautiful and remarkable, versus a reason to whip out the stain remover.
“What makes an artist unique is when they do things differently.” said Gaul. “You’ve gotta keep reaching. A true artist will find something that takes what they create and takes it to the next level. There’s something to be said for coming up with your own idea.”
His paintings reflect the choice in media: With a coffee mug as a base, Gaul manipulates the coffee aroma or fumes to create the abstracted form of, typically, a woman.
Gaul tries to make his work pleasing, slightly sensual, as if the particular cup of coffee is alluring or something people would enjoy.
While staying in the realm of coffee, Gaul has experimented with sugar, which has a similar effect on coffee as salt would on watercolor paint, and red wine to paint the woman’s lips.
One upside to painting with coffee grounds? It’s environmentally friendly. There are no chemicals or artificial dyes to spread through the water system or on surfaces. Coffee grounds decompose rapidly and are nutritious to the soil.
Gaul became involved with ARTrails as a way to share his work with others and to show them how he creates his artwork.
“That’s one of the cool things about ARTrails,” said Gaul. “It gives me the time to work, talk to people, and work with other artists.”
“I like the camaraderie with the other ARTrails artists. It makes me a better teacher and forces me to be a better artist, to create.”
Artwork aside, Gaul teaches art classes in the Toledo School District and coaches several sports for them as well. Gaul was the artist who created the Warhawk mascot drawing when Toledo and Winlock schools combined for athletes.
As far as the future of his artwork is concerned, Gaul would be interested in selling to a corporation. Since the Pacific Northwest is the coffee icon of the nation, Gaul thinks he’s in good shape, being the only coffee artist in this area. The others, Gaul said, are on the other side of the country.
“I would really like to go to Starbuck’s or Tully’s and present to them and work for them. I’d like to get into the coffee industry doing design” Gaul said.
Gaul also does commissioned work, with some recent pieces being donated to help fund breast cancer awareness programs.
His favorite type of coffee? Gaul enjoys a nice mocha to “get a shot of chocolate in there.” Gaul says that he doesn’t really speak the coffee lingo, surprisingly, so his drink orders are usually very simple when he orders from a coffee stand.
For more information on Gaul and his artwork, visit him online at www.rongaulcoffeeart.com. He can be reached at thecoffeeartist@gmail.com.
