50. Coffee Time - Social Time (2022)

This is the only piece of the Voyage_50505 fully dedicated to an interior space. All other 50 pieces depict landscapes, buildings or exteriors.

It was not planed, but happened to find myself having a coffee at Morning coffee at the Glass Merchants in Balaclava after drop-off my son at kinder. I had no morning appointments nor pressing issues for the morning and fortunate to have my artist briefcase with me including, paper, pen and watercolours so I found myself depicting this vista over a couple of hours. This is also one of a few pieces in the collections that was fully drawn and coloured in-situ in a single go.

Interesting to realise that this interior is not precisely an award-winning architectural breakthrough but perhaps the opposite, it is more or an industrial archaeological site more in-tune with vernacular architecture than anything else. Yet, the space is generous and full of character. Spacious but cosy, old but not dilapidated, and still has some of the industrial fans, lathes, pulleys and workbenches from the former Glass Merchants shop.

Other observations revolved around seeing people enjoying their coffee mid-morning on a weekday. Possibly something normal these days, but certainly not for long time. I did wonder how many of the were actually officially at work, or say, working from home? Or perhaps some where actual formal business meetings? ...or non of the above. What is clear is that humans still enjoy in-person contact-time, and we got back to it after being taken away for a while.

Ironically, my couple of hours of quasi-self-imposed-isolation passed by all pretty quickly and my only social interaction was with a nice waitress who offered me a second coffee and extra water to dissolve my paintings. Something unthinkable only a few months ago, and glad to think we are done and dusted with strict lock-downs.

Enjoy your next coffee, hopefully in good company of a friend, a book or pen and paper!