Quarantine: Coffee (framed) by Robin Cole

Robin Cole

Quarantine: Coffee (framed), 2020

charcoal on paper

13 x 15 in

Signature: front bottom right

$850

The first in a series of three drawings featuring some of the staples and/or casualties of quarantine, in this case, coffee, without which we never would have survived. And while we've always enjoyed making coffee in the morning from quality, fresh-ground beans, the ritual took on a new significance and level of enjoyment when it became the single source of coffee in our lives with the closure of shops, cancellations of coffee dates with friends, and trepidation around drinking from a to-go cup prepared by someone outside our family. We cut back on our ordering from online companies in favor of supporting local businesses, such as Sweet Bloom.

This drawing was also a demonstration for one of several classes that were intended to be taught in person, but have now moved to zoom. The humor, darkness, and irony of the situation in which we all found ourselves inspired me to thematically orient my drawing demonstrations towards relatable quarantine challenges that stand as recognizable, though still beautiful, symbols of the times.