MANILA, Philippines — She drinks her coffee — and paints with it too!
Using different shades of the brown color palette, young artist Sunshine Plata creates coffee masterpieces of fairies and paisleys, coffee farmers, and quaint rural landscapes.
Sunshine’s caffeine addiction started when she saw a 19th century artwork with a signature made with coffee displayed at the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not’’ exhibit at a mall in Mandaluyong City.
“I used to paint with oil and watercolor. But it got so expensive for my parents to finance my hobby. So I needed to find a cheaper medium that would last like oil and watercolor. I remember seeing in the Ripley’s exhibit that coffee
was used to write and paint,” says Sunshine, 30.
After experimenting with the wonder bean that is coffee, Sunshine was able to produce enough artworks for her first exhibit titled “LSD (Look, Smell, Discover) Trip by Caffeine” in 2008. Talks about her unique medium spread via word of mouth, with 27 of her 33 paintings sold. Two were even bought by the Ripley’s Museum. Her works were likewise featured on the Martha Stewart Show and exhibited at Times Square in New York City.
“The vice president of Ripley’s was the one who contacted me and he chose two from the remaining paintings. He bought it almost four times the original price, which is a good deal for a beginning artist. I was lucky, prayers and determination helped a lot,” she says.
A lesson in detachment
Sunshine was a second year Psychology major at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) when she started experimenting with coffee as medium of her art. Her first painting, titled “Ustedyante” (UST student), depicted the facade of UST’s Main Building,
After graduating, her hobby took a backseat so she could pursue her other love – teaching. “I really love kids. It’s a nice feeling to be surrounded by innocent little people who love to see you every day,” she says.
But it seems Sunshine was always being led back to painting. Teaching in pre-school, she was still able to use her drawing skills as she did a lot of visual teaching. Yet after giving teaching five years, Sunshine finally decided to pursue her art full-time.
“I was scared to get into it at first because I know it is hard to penetrate the art scene. But I was determined to work hard kahit walang financial incentives,” she says.
In 2009, 17 of her commissioned works were submerged in the great Ondoy flood. It was like she lost not only her life’s works, but also her heart and soul. “I was only able to save my brushes. That Ondoy experience really served as a lesson in detachment for me,’’ she recalls.
It took Sunshine three months to recover from that speed bump and start painting again. “At that time, parang nakakalimutan ko na ‘yung career ko. But people kept on calling and were asking for an exhibit again. Somehow that helped me pick myself up,” she states.
Although not the first artist to use coffee as medium, Sunshine’s intricate designs set her works apart. She loves depicting the fairy world, vis-a-vis religious themes, particularly the Virgin Mary.
Not having gone to art school, Sunshine understands the importance of having a support system in pursuing art so she conducts art classes for underprivileged kids. She says her work is proof that anyone, regardless of age or background, can paint with anything. “I wa s able to express myself through my art. Everybody has the right to express themselves in any way they can,” she says.