Mourning Coffee by Texas-based artist Ronnie Stelly was created using only opaque water-based Japanese paint pens. Limiting himself to this single medium, Stelly spent a year adding to the piece daily, capturing the chaos of the global pandemic and society’s willingness to risk health—for themselves and baristas—for a daily cup of coffee.
Inspired by Thailand’s Black Ivory coffee beans, his palette evokes richness and contrast, while the use of white symbolizes the lack of gratitude shown to essential workers. The piece’s chiaroscuro technique pulls viewers into a disordered world, urging reflection on what we truly consider essential.
Now on display at a hybrid coffeehouse-art gallery in Galveston, Texas, Mourning Coffee resists easy interpretation, serving as a visual parable of sacrifice, obsession, and everyday rituals.
