Pre-New Year's meltdown

So I am really nervous now. It is 3 days before the new year [2007, in case you have been under a rock] and I want to have my coffee project done in 10 months- 11, if you include framing & assemblage...

ideas thus far:
inspirations of Warhol [plain painted background, {screen-printed?} Coffee Cups] set of 4...

photo mural of coffee-shop goers

smashed coffee cups

what you see in a cup of coffee

Latest editions...

ladies in the rain

Coffee date with Dali
Works in Progress
There is an elephant in the room...
masquarading

Some projects I am working on... let me know what you think!!

sketches...

Outside looking in...


Coffee Martini? Coffee Flower

Original sketch for Coffee inspired by frida




This has been re-worked several times[as of 01/01/07]



oil pastel on paper

watercolor

Its a full moon.

What a gorgeous night; clear skies, full moon, coffee project in full swig. (<-That is not a typo)

Yesterday was possibly the most awesome day for the Coffee Project. For several weeks now, the Project has been in the pre-production and research phase. Many sketches have been made, multiple ideas put forth (thanks everyone!). I was feeling confident enough, and a bit excited when I tracked down the future benefactor (well, displayer of my creative things) Katie P. at Espresso Love Coffee. I showed her my preliminary sketches and explained to her my thought processes at the current moment, my motives behind them, and she was thrilled! She was concerned that I keep my style (abstract-ish, focusing on social problems) through everything that I do, but is really excited at where I have been headed so far. I was very skeptical to show her those (what she calls my style) which were centered around social/political unrest, but those happened to be the ones she was most excited to see. I have other ideas for pieces as well, that would fit into my 'kitchy-but-not-too-kitchy' category of all things coffee. (Read: these would most likely be the pieces that people would put into their homes). We talked about posters, duplicating items (in print form- great idea Katie), mediums, the work; it was so very exciting!!!

I have decided to go beyond the initial 12-15 piece fulfillment for the project, instead creating as much as possible, in as many mediums as possible. It won't be all crazy/wierd stuff, but the same thing, in different mediums. Think Andy Warhol, but coffee (multiple prints/different mediums/same picture). These would be the items that would potentially sell, and if I am truly lucky, sell well. I have opted to pursue multiple mediums for the CP (I think I already mentioned this, however), and am excited to announce that I will be adding photography to the project!

Thanks to Sarah for the coffee grinder- I love you! and thanks to mom {carol} for the mortar & pestle; you honestly have no idea how giddy I am to recieve both of those items. Katie P. has also agreed to teach me the finer arts of espresso making and brewing coffee the Turkish way- truly exciting events to be had here. More details will come, as more is experienced. Joe F., my spectacular cousin, has agreed also to be the 'subject matter' when it comes time to start my photography, which really ought to be quite interesting.

I am quite excited at the whole prospect of the project taking off- the enthusiasm for coffee has grabbed hold of my soul and won't let go until I have exhausted every single bean. Fred, my husband, has been poking his head in the coffee project for some time- helping me with research, telling me his ideas (which I can't wait to see- just have to get him to sketch stuff)- has come up with a brilliant idea- coffee from a man's Point of View. At first I was like ookkayy, but then he explained, men are more apt to take their coffee strong, with the sports page and a pack of cigarettes, versus women with their biscotti and muffins. I nearly died laughing! For him to say muffins is hilarious!

So this is where I leave you.... I hope you are as excited about the coffee project as I am. If you have any suggestions or would like to be a part of the project, let me know! I am sure I could put you (or parts of you) somewhere....

Until later,

I will have some coffee with my sugar, thank you very much.

4 am coffee blog... 07.11.06

4am Coffee Blog 07.11.06

In some ways I never realized before now, coffee was in fact the world's first drug. I have a plate of grounds drying in front of me that I am using in the first of many to come experiments in coffee. You see, now that I have started the coffee project, there can be no stone left unturned. People need coffee; they consume coffee nearly as much as they do water. People want coffee for the feelings it gives them: the coffee 'buzz', the warmth, the memories. To some coffee is coffee, to others, well coffee has flavor, life, passion; it gives us life. For some of us Coffee=Love.

Thinking about my teenage years and what the coffee grounds drying on the plate reminded me of another counterpart- marijuana. I saw many similarities between coffee and the great herbal smoke. For instance, marijuana, just like coffee, is priced by value; the better the quality, the higher the price. Word of its benefits travels fast, but also the attempts to outlaw/ban/regulate the said 'benefit' arrive just as quickly. In the end, its still the farmer who gets fucked (though the fair trade coffees are making headway into that category to make sure that no longer happens; coffee farmers have families too). We use coffee and marijuana in different foods, blends roasting, etc. Smell the aroma, savor the flavors before you consume them. Enjoy the benefits that each has to offer.

For the fact that it is 4am, I also cannot believe that I started in on this subject. There are more possibilities here to explore, but just not at the moment. Need to keep eyes open to pursue; will sleep on it first.

So the 'Coffee Project' is well underway; I now have my husband enlisted as a volunteer researcher/idea developer in the project. Its pretty exciting, considering what happened at the start of the fourth of July weekend.

What the hell is this you ask? Well, its been seven years for the two of us, and I felt stifled in my creativity, and I also felt like I was suffocating him a bit with his creativity. I felt we deserved time to pursue our creative interests, and I also felt that we needed the chance to miss each other. I wanted to remember what it was like when we first got together. Lets just chalk it up to too many years of 'yea, that's a good idea', but not enough of ever getting around to doing any of it. So now I have a husband who is positively delighted to participate in the coffee project and to have these in-depth discussions of art, the process, coffee, wine, anything. Damn, WE TALK! Having actual discussions!!! I LOVE IT!!! This is the husband/partner/lover that I have been missing! By the way, I am not moving out. We are working to make it work.

Enough about that; did you know that the first coffeeshop was called Kiva Hahn? Coffee was first discovered by goats (some accounts its sheep) and their herders. The religious used to use it to keep them awake at night for evening prayers.

I have lots of ideas for different paintings/drawings/multimedia projects; so many that I am having trouble getting my thoughts organized enough to know where to start and how I want things to look. I am thinking that I want to use the coffee project as a base for my portfolio to submit for admission to MIAD next year. That is a new goal, after completing the coffee project, to apply for a scholarship to attend school there.

Not to get too far ahead of myself, but its time to start getting my head out of the clouds, and back to the canvas.....

First blog post; first independent blog. My other blog is on myspace (jessicafuchs), but that is more of a um, shall we say, 'ventilation' system.

I have wanted to start a blog, a serious (?) blog after reading Julie/Julia. Julie had her cooking project, I will have my art project. I am currently in research mode for the Coffee Project. I would like to have a complete art show (12-15 pieces anyway) to show off my skills as an artist and independent researcher. I paint, draw, think, read, write, mother, cook and get up and do it all over again the next day.

Finishing the Coffee Project (as Julie finished the Julia project) will be quite a feat. I too am hoping to have this done in a year or less, preferably less, so I can present it to Katie @ Espresso Love Coffee- the ultimate art collection for the ultimate coffee shop. I have shown my art there before; it was controversial, young (some of it was from high school, with a few new pieces added), and very bright. I have seen the different types of artwork she has in the shop (she rotates monthly) and was completely floored when she agreed to host my artwork. After that it was a mad dash to get it all finished and framed. I am hoping to accomplish the fulfillment of my inner desire of becoming an artist (and making money with it too). So far the 'new' artwork I have done, I have given away; both pieces that I dedicated my time to have been wedding gifts. I don't often take much time to sketch out ideas, but rather they form in my head and only when they are there, persisting to get onto paper or canvas, then will they come out. Sadly enough, I never took photos of the works before they left my hands. I was quite proud of both pieces, taking my time and ensuring I was satisfied with the outcomes before I passed them onto people who I felt would appreciate the art. I will get my hands on a digital camera soon (Mandy can I borrow your camera again?) and get photos up- some of the old, some of the new and in progress stuff.

Now to find someone to teach me how to weld....

Until later- in the meantime, read, write, and stay aware...

Jessica