CoffeeScapes – n. A word I made up to describe the landscapes I see (and paint) inside an Armenian coffee cup

Have you ever had a beautiful, fragrant cup of Armenian coffee, drank it down to the dregs in the bottom of the cup and then flipped it over, turning it clockwise with the intent of having your fortune read – or just seeing what the inside of the cup held for you? If you have, then you know about the beautiful landscapes that are created by the coffee as it flows slowly down the sides of the inverted cup. Each cup holds a different treasure of positive and negative design. And that is exactly what inspired me over 25 years ago to paint coffeescapes using Armenian coffee as my medium.

Let me backtrack a bit. My name is Anush, and I am a 3x cancer survivor. Seriously. My first diagnosis of breast cancer was when I was only 34. We didn’t have breast cancer in our family. It just snuck up on me. It was devastating and scary, especially since we had no health insurance and had two young children. But this is not a post on my cancer struggles, but about my art. I had surgery, and while I was recuperating my sister would come over every afternoon to visit me on her way home from work. I would make us both a cup of Armenian coffee, and we would sit and talk, flip the cups, and my sister – who likes to read the cups – would explain the mean of the lines in my cup. That’s where it all started. Coffeescapes.

It was during one of these visits that I saw the cup as more than just “a fortune”. I saw it as a whole beautiful and unique work of art. And this is when I decided that I wanted to reproduce the design on canvas….only exploded many times. I was so excited to do this. I asked my husband if he would pick up wood for me to build a canvas. I bought canvas and a staple gun, a backsaw and a mitre box, did my math calculations and came up with a 10x exploded view of the cup. My original Coffeescape painting is 6’ x 18” (the 18” dimension allowed for some of the bottom of the cup as well). And I didn’t want to paint just any cup, but one that was filled with a positive message. A couple weeks into our coffee drinking/reading journey my sister read a beautiful cup. One filled with angels and hope. This was the cup I would paint.

I set about creating a permanent pigment out of Armenian coffee and painted away. I hung it up in our dining room and that’s pretty much all that became of that canvas, other than good conversation with friends over dinners at the house. But it started an idea brewing in my head. Someday I would have an art show where I would feature coffeescapes. We would even have the opportunity for attendees to drink a cup of Armenian coffee and order a custom canvas of their cup.

Well, it finally happened. It took about 25 years for the dream to become a reality, but just last month, (January 18-31, 2018) my show, Coffeescapes: From Cup to Canvas – The Unique Art of Anush Movsesian Avejic opened at Roslin Gallery in Glendale. The show featured 26 works of art. Coffeescapes as well as other painting using Armenian coffee as the medium along with some of my illustrations.

It was my very first showing of my work. It was a dream come true for me. We opened with a wine and cheese reception, and the closing featured an Armenian coffee reception where patrons drank a cup, had a reading done, and ordered their custom canvas!

Here are some of my pieces. If you are interested in purchasing or a custom canvas, please email me at anush@essentiallyanush.com

This is a double canvas set called “Coffee with Laura”. It is a memorial to my dear friend Laura, whom I lost last year and the thousands of cups of coffee we shared over a lifetime of friendship. I drank 2 cups of Armenian coffee…the top one intentionally for me and the bottom for Laura. The canvases parallel a strong bond between two women. Both have a wishbone, mine is intact, but Laura’s is broken. This set is for sale.

“Ride the Wave” (above) – SOLD – New friendships are forming. Be wary of an older woman who is posing as a friend. You are coming to terms with a past relationship and its sad ending. Open your heart to new relationship and new beginnings. There are many ups and downs on your journey. Ride the waves and they will see you through.

The canvas is titled “Inner Strength”. The receiver is a strong woman, set in her ways. She is trying to bring about change in her career. In order to do so, she must put her priorities in the right place – which isn’t the current situation. In order to succeed she must do something very difficult for her: swallow her pride and allow her friends to help her.

“A Blessed Change” (above) shows a couple coming together to discuss a direct change in their journey through life together. They have the opportunity to make a 180 degree change from their current situation. Reliance on friends is key to lead to their success. Prosperity is there shown as a tower of birds which signify good luck and victory over challenge. The presence of the number seven brings an extra blessing.

“Believe in Love” (above) shows feelings of isolation and loneliness. The receiver of the reading is standing tall, as a woman, her arms crossed over her chest protecting her heart. There are opportunities to love again, but she is not ready. Faith, introspection, and spirituality are needed to achieve openness.

“Opportunities” (above) – SOLD – is the title of the above canvas. Reading: There are many opportunity, but you are creating roadblocks. While you have a great capacity to love and an open heart, be protective of your heart. There are many opportunities on many different paths. Trust your heart and follow your dreams. You can be your own worst enemy or your own best friend.