Who would have ever thought that something as annoying as coffee stains could turn out to be something so useful to create a stunning portrait? Hong “Red” Yi proves that nothing is impossible!
Hong Yi, popularly known as “Red”, describes herself as someone who “likes to paint, but not with a paintbrush”. Her works are made with materials which are related to her subjects. Just like this portrait of Jay Chou which is made out of coffee stains inspired by the Taiwanese singer’s song “Secret”.
Hong “Red” Yi starts her masterpiece by making a cup of coffee.
And while she takes a sip, she thought of “the opening sentence [of the song], about lifting up a coffee cup off the saucer, and the ending of the song about autumn leaves and fragmented pieces.”
“This is shown through the portrait as a whole — how it’s formed by many individual rings, many of them broken and imperfect like fallen autumn leaves.”
Using nothing but coffee rings, left by an actual mug expertly set down over and over again on a canvas…
she was able to fit so many slightly unpredictable parts together to create a lovely portrait.
We may wonder how many cups of coffee she took and how highly caffeinated she has become, yet we could say that the finish product is awesomely addicting!
The video below shows how Hong “Red” Yi created this fantastic portrait:
You can also check out other videos of Hong Yi’s amazing works here or follow her on Instagram.
Please share this astounding talent of this artist.