Thursday, January 28, 2010

Coffee, Tea or Beer

My friend asked me to accompany her to a Cafe one night to listen to some live music. This place in Berkeley was a busy coffee shop during the day and a bustling cafe at night.

I surreptiously took this image with my camera phone. I thought the guy at the bar appeared to want to look like an urban pirate with his bandana, sunglasses [at night] but showing he was a sensitive dude sipping his Latte.

The man in the foreground had finished his dinner with his family who were enjoying their tea while he indulged in a tall glass of draft beer.






12x9 oil on ArtBoard

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Great painting, Sheila!! I really like the composition, brushwork, and palette. You nailed it.

Carol Horzempa said...

Wow, Sheila! You really captured the moment with your camera phone and then in a painting. I love your spontaneous brushstrokes...great composition too!

Manon said...

Great piece Sheila!! Really awesome composition!! Btw.... I'd take the beer!! lol

Celeste Bergin said...

super composition..this may be my favorite of yours (right now, that is). :)

Kathleen Krucoff said...

This is so cool Sheila! As I said on FB, its a great glimpse of a snapshot in time. Very cool.

Edward Burton said...

I agree, it is a wonderful composition and very well done!

Unknown said...

Lovely scene Sheila, I like the moody colours.

-Don said...

Great job, Sheila! I love your brushstrokes, and the composition is perfect. A tall draft always sounds good to me... -Don

Carol Schiff Daily Painting said...

Sheila, As everyone agrees, the composition is great. I am impressed by the complex subject matter and the fact that you had only a cell phone photo to work from. Wonderful!

Catherine Jeffrey said...

Great composition, mood and atmosphere. The looseness of the painting is great and I like the touches of red in the background. And of course, capturing the character and personality of ordinary people is where you "shine". Delightful painting, with a story to tell.

Autumn Leaves said...

Sheila, this is such a wonderful piece with great brushwork. I love the image and your words to go along with it too.

Unknown said...

This is fantastic Sheila - great mood and it's so interesting! I keep moving back and forth between the jug and the beer and then studying the characters and back to the jug again with it's reflections!

Gwen Bell said...

Great atmosphere and composition! A cell phone pic??? Amazing.
Those shiney pitchers are so great.

Mark Sheeky said...

Masterful handling of the darks and lights on that pot. That can be so difficult in oils.

Ellen Burkett said...

Oh this is gooood! Caught the feeling of the place, the attitudes of the guys...all with wonderful loos brushwork. perfect!

Jo Castillo said...

This is great. Fun to capture a wonderful note in time.

Sheila Estep said...

Wow! this is great, my eyes were roving around the whole painting, I wanted to make sure I didnt miss anything. Love the brushwork and mood, and the pirate dude is cool!

Linny D. Vine said...

Wonderful, Sheila! I see the pirate-ness and I like the way you painted the glass.

Robin Weiss said...

Love it Sheila!

I wash down lattes with beer all the time!...=]

James Parker said...

Out of all the super artwork I've seen from you this past year...this one reaches out and grabs me....it is really neat. I like all about it...the composition, colors, mood, expression, reflections....and that cold glass of beer that guy's got. Keep that cellphone's shutters oiled and ready.

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

Sheila, I love your blog, your sensitive 'take' on your subjects - and your wide range! You are portraying little slices of contemporary life, and that is so important to record - for posterity. Nice work - SO hard to capture a scene like this. You GO girl!