WorkArt & Culture

Coffee Paintings: Artist uses coffee on century old paper to create stunning art

A native to America's East Tennessee, Michael Aaron Williams is known for his street art installed on the streets of over 15 different countries across the world. He's also famous for his intriguing coffee paintings on century old paper. Using antique ledger paper from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the images are entirely rendered using a brush, lots of coffee and a little ink for extra flare.

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Sepia-toned illustration on aged ledger paper showing a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and holding wheat stalks, rendered in coffee and ink by Michael Aaron Williams

Michael's work has been exhibited extensively both in the United States as well as internationally, including shows in Los Angeles, Paris, Rome and London. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and received his MFA from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Discover more at www.michaelaaronart.com and make sure you watch the video below to see the process behind his coffee paintings.

Via direct submission

Symmetrical coffee painting on antique ledger paper by Michael Aaron Williams showing mirrored figures with raised arms against horizontal striations
Woman with long hair tilted back, arms outstretched holding wheat stalks, rendered in coffee and ink on aged ledger paper
Symmetrical coffee and ink drawing on aged ledger paper showing mirrored figures holding boxing gloves in various poses, overlaid with faint architectural grid lines
Young girl holding a bundle of wheat, rendered in sepia tones on antique ledger paper by Michael Aaron Williams
Brown ink and coffee painting on century-old ledger paper depicting birds in flight around an ornate frame, with handwritten text visible beneath.
A profile portrait of a woman with long flowing hair and closed eyes rendered in coffee and ink on aged ledger paper, with a small bird perched near her face.
Two bears facing each other with crowns above their heads, rendered in coffee and ink on antique paper by Michael Aaron Williams
Sepia-toned portrait of a blindfolded woman with long hair, rendered in coffee and ink on antique ledger paper with visible handwritten text and grid lines beneath the figure
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