She’s an artist with a difference and it won’t be too preposterous to call her the Da Vinci of coffee art. Amidst all the coffee powders, beans, brewmasters and coffee plants there’s one lady who promises to stand out at the Coffee Santhe from December 2 to 4 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
We speak to Hima Bindu, a creative coffee artist who does Warli and Tanjore paintings using coffee decoction and powder, sans any colour. It is extraordinary to see what this coffee artist does with the magical concoctions and feels that one just needs to find, explore and experiment.
Talking about what the coffee artist is showcasing at the Coffee Santhe this week, Hima states, “I would be showcasing over 80 of my paintings which are all made using coffee as a medium at the Santhe. I’ve used coffee related things like coffee beans, powder, coffee decoction and the like. My work is different from other artists as I try to render most of the art forms using coffee as a medium. I do more of Indian art forms rendering in coffee and some of my popular styles are Tanjore, Madhubani, Kalamkari, Warli, Gond and Pathachitra.”
Hima likes to reuse and recycle coffee — right from the left over decoration to the powder (after using the filter coffee), seeds (beans), coffee dust, instant coffee powder (dried ones).
Ask Hima on the challenges she faces as a coffee artist which is a unique field in itself and she replies, “I’ve faced challenges in terms of longevity of the paintings as coffee gets fungus and gathers dust easily. Then of course, getting various shades while rendering the painting be it nature or facial expressions is challenging. I get a lot of compliments from people who tell me that they like the uniqueness of my works and are amazed at what I’m able to do with waste. I’ve also been told they look like wooden carvings. I paint using left over coffee decoction, filter coffee powder (after filtering) and dried instant coffee sachets beans.” Who knew that these brews could involve so much creativity!
Her first guru was her mother says Hima who owes it all to her. “My mother used to paint using black ink. In my growing up years painting arts and crafts were a big part of my school and college curriculum. I did my education in Hyderabad. I have completed a double Masters,”she says.
Work brought Hima to Bengaluru. “I work here with an MNC as a senior manager. I enrolled into formal painting styles of Tanjore and Oil canvas painting. I learnt from a homemaker who used to teach paintings as a hobby and later took it up seriously. Oil painting was affecting my health, so I began exploring other medium and stumbled upon coffee and combined coffee with various mediums (almond oil, vinegar, coconut oil and turpentine). Now I paint in 12 different styles. I’m also a trained classical singer. Gardening, spending time with kids and singing bhajans, act as great stress busters and add to my good karma,” shares Hima on a happy note.
