Recipe for Art: Painting with Coffee

The chronic pain and fatigue of hidradenitis suppurativa can lead to depression and inactivity, and it’s easy to get stuck in that cycle. Art can help us reconsider our perspectives and briefly change our surroundings, bringing relief. Remember that art is personal. It does not need to be perfect! Some patients and caregivers really enjoy the smell of coffee, and coffee painting is an easy project.

What you’ll need

• Instant coffee (I recommend espresso.)
• Paintbrushes of various sizes
• Water
• Paper. (Use watercolor paper for the best results.)

The sepia-only tones are a fun challenge

This is a project that will stimulate your sense of smell as well as spark your visual sensitivity. You will be working entirely in sepia tones, so it will be challenging to differentiate between the light and dark shades to create meaningful pictures.

Have fun

This is all freehand, and the sky is the limit! You can even sprinkle grains of undissolved instant coffee crystals over areas of wet paper for a different effect. I hope this project “wakes up” the artist in you!