Aussie Coffee Art

It measures 20 feet high and 13 feet wide and took a team of 8 people 3 hours to complete. (Photo: AP)

My friend Rj knows what a caffeine fiend I am. Look at this photo of the Mona Lisa recreated with cups of coffee he sent to me. How cool is this? Thanks Rj for this great surprise. (Click photo for a larger image.) 

I just did an Internet search and found a news article about the event. Enjoy!

Mona Lisa recreated with coffee

The different colours were created by adding no, little or lots of milk to each cup of black coffee.

It measures an impressive 20 feet high and 13 feet wide and took a team of eight people three hours to complete.

It was created for The Rocks Aroma Festival in Sydney, Australia, and seen by 130,000 people who attended the one-day coffee-lovers event.

Elaine Kelly, from event organisers the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, was delighted with the result.

She said: "Each coffee cup was filled with varying amounts of milk to create the different sepia shades of the painting.

"We wanted to create an element of surprise and a sense of fun in the way we engaged with the public.

"Once we had the idea of creating an image out of coffee cups we searched for something iconic to reproduce - and opted for the most iconic painting in history.

"The Mona Lisa has been reproduced so many times in so many different mediums but, as far as we know, never out of coffee.

"The result was fantastic.

"After much planning it was great to see if coming together so well and the 130,000 people who attended the event certainly enjoyed it."

Mona Lisa, also known as La Gioconda, is the 16th century portrait painted in oil by Leonardo Da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance.

The work is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France, with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

It measures 770 millimetres by 530 millimetres and has prompted debate for years over the reason for her famously enigmatic smile.

Extensive scrutiny using X-ray apparatus suggests that restoration work has resulted in the original being painted over three times. 

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Bliss

(Image: glitter-graphics.com /javaturtle)

Get Out of My Head!

Drink too much coffee - see dead people!

January 20, 2009 - According to researchers at the University of Durham , drinking too much coffee can cause hallucinations with the presence of 'dead people". Subjects who consumed a daily equivalent of seven cups of instant coffee or more were three times more likely to have extra-sensory experiences. Those taking high concentrations of caffeine often reported "seeing things that were not there, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of dead people".

Source: coffeechemistry.com

This study doesn't surprise me at all, but instant coffee? That's for babies! Imagine what I've seen after a triple Depth Charge, with heavy cream and raw sugar? (Trying to resist the urge to insert a smiley face or a "lol" here.)

I've been telling people for years that caffeine is the BEST drug. I don't need anything else. Coffee is legal, full of nutrients, helps get my creative juices flowing, and so much more. I'm not one of those people that quickly gulps down a cup of joe on their way to work. No way. Coffee needs to be savored, so I prefer to drink it at night. It relaxes me and gets me mentally prepared -- whether it's diving into a good book, doing a blog, studying, or even surfing the Internet. I love flying on a caffeine buzz! And yes, I'm sipping the evil black brew while writing this. No big surprise, right?

Redhead in Coffee Cup

I love paintings like this. What's up with that robot?

Artist: Unknown

Bliss

My Drug of Choice

Artist: Nayro (on deviantART)

This is dedicated to my favorite coffee baristas and good friends, Johnny and Charlie at Starbucks Coffee on Victoria Street. Thanks for helping to feed my caffeine addiction, and taking such good care of me.

Waiting for My Red Eye

Santa Barbara Roasting Company, Santa Barbara, CA

I took this picture of the giant coffee grinder with my cell phone while my Red Eye was being prepared. The aroma was so delicious. I was in heaven!

Fun with Coffee