Coffee + Donut studies 1, 2, and 3

8x8 Oil on canvas

This series came out of a slow morning in Squamish, BC — one of those cozy café visits where you get a coffee and just sit for a while watching the world start up. I like checking out local coffee shops when I’m in a new place.

Each of these three paintings is a color study of the exact same setup — a coffee cup, mostly full, and a half-eaten pastry. Painting the same subject multiple times let me really focus on the color: shifting the underpainting, playing with combinations, and seeing how different palettes could change the mood of the same quiet scene.

They’re simple moments — nothing fancy — but that’s kind of the point. I like how painting these little morning rituals makes me slow down and notice what’s in front of me, and hopefully invites the viewer to do the same.