New World Finn Art Gallery

Angel Sarkela / Andy Saur

Angel Sarkela Self Portrait, 2002, Coffee Art

Angel Sarkela and her partner in coffee-art Andy Saur have discovered that the coffee bean can be used for more than a stimulating drink. In early 2002 they scheduled an exhibition of their work at Beaners Central Coffeehouse in west Duluth, and decided it would be appropriate to create a type of painting that they now call "coffee art". They experimented with mixing coffee in varying consistencies and thicknesses for use as paint (as in "waterpaint"). Their experiment was a total success: all of the paintings they exhibited in the show (over 30) were purchased.
The success of that show led them to a coffeeshop/restaurant called the Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors, Minnesota, (Andy's hometown) where they exhibited another series of paintings with similar sales results in July. And this coffee-art phenomenon isn't stopping there: two more coffeehouses/cafes in the region have already scheduled Angel and Andy for exhibitions later this year.

Angel Sarkela was born and raised on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. Both of her parents have Finnish ancestry. She has had some training as an artist, but is primarily self-taught. She was voted "most artistic" by her high school classmates. Three years ago Angel graduated from the University of Minnesota in Duluth with a degree in business administration. She says that she enjoys working in the business world (currently for Cirrus Designs, an airplane manufacturer), but that "ideally I'd like to be painting and playing my guitar."

Andy Saur carries a bit of the Finnish gene as well (one of his grandmothers has Finnish ancestry), even though he can't stand the taste of the brewed bean. He is currently creating a web site that will feature their coffee art. (All of the pieces below are the work of Angel.)

From an article by Joan Farnam in the duluth.com newpaper earlier this year:

When people look at the coffee art paintings of Andy Saur and Angel Sarkela, their first reaction is usually delight. Under the skillful hands of these two talented artists, the paintings made from a wash of real coffee on watercolor paper seem to sing with a life of their own. A frog peering over a leaf, a polar bear appearing suddenly out of a blizzard, a group of musicians playing acoustic instruments in a pub -- all are handled with subtle nuances that please the eye. Nevertheless, the first question many viewers asked at the opening of the pair's "Just Coffee" show at Beaner's Central last week was whether or not the paintings were really painted with coffee. When Saur and Sarkela assured them they were, they immediately fired the next question. What kind of coffee? Brewed or instant? "We're not telling," Sarkela said. "It's a trade secret," Saur added and then laughed. Actually, the couple has discovered that coffee is a wonderful watercolor medium. It's cheap, easy to use and surprisingly durable if taken care of properly. "I did a painting of Louis Armstrong," Sarkela said. "It's been up for months and still looks fine." Kept out of sunlight, and water, the pieces hold up well, they said. They also use a fixative to protect the surface.

Fiddler, coffee art, Angel Sarkela, 2002

Bear, coffee art, Angel Sarkela, 2002

Musicians, coffee art, Angel Sarkela, 2002

Guitarist, coffee art, Angel Sarkela, 2002

Visit Andy and Angel's website: justcoffeeart.com