A student of life

James Dupraj

Painter, photographer and writer Neala Luna began exploring photography and art in 2012. With a self-professed fascination in human behaviour, she has always questioned why humans do what they do and feel what they feel. Through the expressive arts she endeavours to capture and understand the nature of light and shadow, both within herself and others as they navigate the world around them.

Since taking up an interest in photography and visual art she has successfully presented paintings and photographs in eight group exhibitions. Her poems, short stories, and various articles have also appeared in local, regional, and international online and print publications, and she is currently editing her first poetry chapbook while preparing for a solo exhibition of her work.

“I am a story collector,” she said, describing herself as an artist. “Everyone we meet has a story to tell, and the briefest encounter with a stranger can offer so many little stories; in their body language, what they say, and what they don’t say. The stories stay with me and surface in my paintings or in my poems.”

She firmly believes each human is a creative vessel – while some study, practice, and develop such talents and skills, others may have more latent relationships with their creative souls, “but creativity lies deep within the core of each of us.” To Luna, when others create, be it visual art, music, stories, dance, gardens, or food, she believes they connect to the purest, deepest, and most honest parts of themselves.

“As social creatures sharing our creations enhances the way we experience the world, and ultimately understand it a bit better,” she said.

In 2017 she began experimenting with “coffee painting” and to spice things up during a 30-day painting challenge with friends, she attempted to paint using non-traditional materials such as wine, beetroot, turmeric, blueberries, ales, and coffee.

“Coffee was the most enjoyable,” she shared, “as it was the medium most similar to watercolours.” She admitted she was not the first artist to paint with coffee in TT. She honoured Beverly Fitzwilliams-Harris who created a coffee mural for a leading coffee chain, and acknowledged that artists have been painting with coffee throughout the history of the world.

She shared that the first coffee paintings were made centuries ago, when coffee as a beverage was introduced to Europe and artists on the continent were inspired by the ancient Chinese custom of painting with tea.

“I enjoy painting with coffee because of the colour spectrum, from gentle, light tints to bold, dark hues,” she said of the wide range her art can take on when using coffee as a medium. “Best of all, coffee makes me happy, so there’s that,” she laughed.

After the 30-day painting challenge, Luna further researched painting with coffee, and continues to do so, saying that it has been an exciting journey of knowledge and openness thus far.

“Coffee is acidic so I had to find a way to prepare the substrate to receive the coffee,” she shared of her process.

She uses 140-200 pounds of cold-pressed, acid-free watercolour paper treated with an alkaline solution to counter the acidity of the grounds. “The coffee is cold-brewed too, which gives it a higher pH level, meaning it is less acidic.”

She experiments with different coffee blends and roasts to achiever lighter and darker shades, always attaining just the right results she is after. She said it takes some days for the painting the dry fully, and a sure sign that it has dried is when the rich, robust scent of the beans has dissipated. “Then a fixative is applied to protect the painting, and I still recommend that the paintings be framed behind glass and displayed where they will not receive direct sunlight,” she added.

“Coffee as a medium is similar to watercolour paint, in as much as it is unforgiving; mistakes are difficult to correct and if I am not careful, a piece can become overworked,” she said of the finesse it takes to create her pieces.

As for using unusual media, she said artists should always follow their creative instincts, whether it be creating within a certain space or exploring bold and innovative directions.

“Art can be many things and subject to many interpretations. I believe the arts are meant to be enjoyed or to inspire thought or to convey messages. The arts can be one or all of these things.”

She acknowledged that she is still a student of life; constantly learning and honing her skills as an artist, and that she began painting and writing regularly only four years ago and now endeavours to write, paint, and sketch daily.

“With my coffee paintings getting so much love and attention, I owe it to them and my work to improve each time I sit down to paint,” she said of the onus she feels to always elevate her creations. It doesn’t hurt that she has received the support and mentorship of her contemporaries who continue to encourage her and offer advice or a listening ear for which she is grateful as a blossoming artist.

She shared that she’s already experimenting with a new medium as part of a collaboration with a new local establishment, “but we are keeping the details under our hats until opening night.”

Last November, when she started creating her miniature paintings with coffee and sharing them with the world, she fell in love with the way they connected her immediately to coffee fans and art enthusiasts across TT.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with fellow artisans on unique projects, and I have created a Coffee Paintings Tour,” she said. Every weekend leading up to Mother’s Day, Luna will be hosting Coffee Paintings Pop-Ups at coffee shops and restaurants across Trinidad.

“The support so far has been wonderful, with coffee and art enthusiasts stopping by for conversations about coffee and art. It has been an encouraging experience, which pushes me to explore the ways to take this adventure to the next level!”

Find Neala Luna on Facebook @NealaLunaStoryCollector and Instagram @neala_luna