Exhausted Coffee Beans
#20/365 Paintings 2013
Gosh, I’m no expert, but living inside the shade of the coffee tree — in cozy pod families — with the occasional balmy breeze — lifting the leaves to symphonic notes… sounds pretty nice to me. In fact, I wonder if Peet’s coffee invented it’s classical-music-atmosphere-brand from the lives of beans in trees?
One day everything changed for the beans. There were popping sounds and the drip of men’s sweat heavy on their little coffee bean bodies. Peace was broken. Then came the agonizing pull — their belly buttons, legs, arms, skins — tossed aside like lumps of clay into a basket on a dusty abandoned road. An old pirates ship as far as they were concerned. Drowning in coffee bean strangers, they couldn’t find their families. Everybody was screaming. Some yelled in Kona, others in Columbia. They suddenly wished they had buckled down and learned each other’s languages instead of being lazy beans in trees. Maybe they would’ve found their families if they had.
Dramatic? Maybe to us. But beans are durable and well tempered. After the initial trauma, they were just very sleepy. Exhausted from the separation anxiety from their tree homes and unable to fully process that life would be very different — they took a siesta.
The stories and paintings are just getting better and better, Niya. I just LOVE what you’re doing. I look forward to “my” daily painting every day now! I already know which one of the coffee series I want to buy… :-).
On my blog, I have my list of blogs/sites that I follow. Would love to add yours. Any objections? xo. Nina.
Oh no objections at all. Thank you. I love the community aspect of this project. ; )
And I’m so happy you look forward to it. This is what I want… to nurture people with art and story. It’s like reading bedtime stories to all your friends. ; )
Or, one day the big Kona Daddy Bean said “look out brother and sister aromatic beans, we’ve got a bad storm coming our way”. Soon, the trees were shaking and the water was rising. The smart beans decided to drop their dark differences and roll their little selves onto a big boat – an ark that floated them safely until that dove came down saying, “I’m not here to just savor you, I’m here to tell you your trees and the sun are back so come flavor our world again”. …just a wild thought, as colorful as the image!
OMG. I LOVE it. Brilliant Laurel.
Thank you.
ps: I see you have a BB in Utah. GREAT, when I come through on my travels one day, that’s where I’ll go! Also, I have a lovely rabbit in need of a home. If you know someone, I’ll come on over!
Because of you and this project, Niya, I intend to paint my first painting in 20 years today — and I’ve given myself an hour. Theo and I have made a deal: I paint him a green grasshopper, and he surrenders his binkies forever to binkie-land. Thank you for reminding me how joyous it is to bring color and form to the rollicking stories of life! Painting was my very first love in life, and I’m eager and terrified to return to it…
Sage… this makes me SO HAPPY. I think this might be the only place in life I don’t take very seriously. I just play and have fun. My days and decisions are changing in perspective — there’s something about playing daily that lightens up everything else. The community is growing… it feels like a living version of the children’s books. Adults looking forward to their daily infusion like children do with children’s books.
Happy painting today. Have fun… have fun… have fun… and if I forgot to say it: HAVE SO MUCH FUN.. and give Theo a smooch for me. You are brave!
Love the dramatic back story on this one… they took a siesta. My dream. I love a happy ending!