It all began in Paris, the summer of 2017. After receiving news that the process of my permanent residency in the United States was delayed, I had to go back to France and leave behind my life and my art. Uncertainty was making the wait almost unbearable.

I took the delay as an opportunity to reconnect with my roots and all the many wonders the city of Paris has to offer. To honor local customs, I also participated in the national sport — coffee time. This “sport” consists of spending hours alone or accompanied while sipping coffee, debating the meaning of life, or simply reflecting on the colors unfolding before your eyes.

Eventually, I started to feel an urge to create, and, since the immigration office was still silent, painting became my obsession. I could not afford to buy all of the necessary supplies on the spot, so I had to find an alternative; salvation came in the shape of a drop of coffee on a paper mat, and an eagerness to play with it with my spoon.

I have always loved coffee — its taste, its aroma, the contrast between its strength and its lightness and, most of all, its ability to keep me awake during a long night of creation. The nectar was displaying a golden-brown color that would naturally reveal its shades when dried. It then struck me; I got a paintbrush and a paper bloc and started ordering two espressos — one for me and one for my art. The Coffee Time collection was born.

For more information about Loic, visit his website at www.loicercolessi-art.com or see @loicercolessi on Instagram.