Another muddy morning (drawing with coffee and ink wash) 2019

Curator: This piece titled "Another muddy morning (drawing with coffee and ink wash)" was created by Alfred Freddy Krupa in 2019. It's a mixed media drawing combining coffee and ink. Editor: It's quite striking. The brown hues against the white of the paper give it a kind of melancholy atmosphere, like a memory fading at the edges. Curator: I agree, there is something ephemeral about it. Let's consider the materials. Krupa's choice to use coffee is fascinating. It brings to mind associations with everyday life and accessible, perhaps even unconventional artistic mediums. The ink lends depth and darkness. Editor: Absolutely, there's a dialogue between high art – think ink drawings historically presented in galleries – and a common, everyday substance. This interplay asks us to reconsider where we place value. How does the casual, almost throwaway nature of coffee contrast with the permanence usually associated with art destined for galleries? Curator: It invites us to consider the processes of making, too. Coffee lends itself to staining, dripping, an uncontrolled quality that could speak to an engagement with chance. It contrasts against the more precise nature of drawing in ink, maybe an attempt at control within the chaos. It looks like Krupa built up layers, each contributing to a richer tonality and depth. Editor: From a historical perspective, you see a trend towards artists embracing accessible and cheap art supplies as well, challenging elite conceptions of "fine art" and its monetary worth. The very use of such common materials levels the playing field in art production and promotes creativity from wider demographics. Curator: Indeed, art history teaches us that constraints and choices of material, as well as making, often dictates artistic movements and societal expression. Consider the use of found objects in assemblage or recycled materials in environmental art. Editor: A really provocative and insightful contrast, demonstrating the artwork’s engagement with material culture. Thank you! Curator: And thank you; your input encourages a fresh viewpoint on production, value, and wider engagement with everyday artistic expression.