Do you know that I often use espresso in my work?
Likely, if you’ve heard of me.
It’s one of the things I’m known for, even though I’ve done a lot of work without the use of espresso.
After all, espresso doesn’t always fit in with the Canadian landscape art prints you’ll find on this site – though it often does, as you’ll see at the link above.
But I don’t just brew a pot of espresso and carry it to my studio.
I mean, I do, but that’s usually the espresso that I’m drinking myself.
No, the espresso I use for art is a very specific type of espresso, and it has to be used in a very specific way.
First of all, it has to be brewed by my mother.
She imbues the espresso with her caring spirit, her inexhaustible love which has given me so much in my life.
She’s been doing this for me for many years, and the results just aren’t the same if she doesn’t brew it.
Next, it has to sit and age for at least a year.
This changes the colours, which gives me something much more bold and vivid to work with.
Different years, different ages, will create different shades – sepia, tan, chestnut, chocolate, amber – it gives me more variety to work with.
Finally, I need to relax, and as much as I can, clear my mind from any desired outcome.
That might sound strange at first.
It makes sense to try your best whenever you’re working toward something, right?
And yes, that’s true, but when it come to creating art, trying is the enemy.
At least, it is for me.
The harder I try to make something look cool, the worse it ends up looking.
Take a look at the painting below, for example.
When creating this piece, at the end I was satisfied that it looked like more than just a piece of spilled coffee splattered on a page.
And that’s because I was able to achieve a state of desirelessness.
Instead of trying to create something specifically, I let the art take over itself.
With the coffee, brewed as it is out of love, the sanctuary in which I place myself (my studio), and my practice of allowing the art to go where it needs to go, I feel more deeply connected with the universe at large.
It becomes an almost extrasensory experience, a third element that you can’t see or taste or touch, but you can feel it.
It shatters my conception of reality, strikes me deep in the soul, it breaks my heart and makes it whole once again.
It’s an otherworldly connection, which on one hand makes me feel small but on the other larger than ever.
This art, this creation, isn’t coming from me.
It’s coming from the broader universe as a whole, and I’m merely the conduit through which it comes.
I’m the catalyst – I start the espresso flowing, but at that point whatever I’m connected to takes over.
Contact Francesco Galle
If you like the illustration you see above, or you like the style and want to explore some of my other work, feel free to browse around on my website.
The prints you’ll find are available in many different shapes and sizes, and on a number of different styles of media, so you’re certain to find something that fits your space.
I’m also available for commissioned works.
If you’re interested in commissioning me, or if you have a question about what you see on my site, feel free to contact me using the information below.