The art of “espressionism”

There is an old proverb: “necessity is the mother of invention.” Perhaps nobody knows this better than artist, Reynier Llanes, who grew up in Cuba, where it was difficult to find art supplies. Luckily, Llanes was able to turn a clumsy accident into a resource. One day, after spilling his coffee onto his drawing, he realized he could use coffee instead of watercolors. 

“Painting with coffee was an accident,” he says. “It was just something that happened at the right time. Why the right time? Because I always wanted to learn to paint with watercolors.” 

Earlier this year, Llanes visited Carrollton to talk to students taking advanced art courses. He focused on coffee painting, demonstrating his unique art techniques. During his presentation, students were able to experiment with different concentrations of coffee to create their own pieces. 

While the students were painting, Llanes created a live portrait of Nailah Pierre ‘24, displaying his loose yet precise brush strokes and layering techniques. 

Besides painting with coffee or what he calls “espressionism,” Llanes often works with oil paints. In his work, he explores the relationship of the spiritual world with the physical world. In his series “The Poet” he uses oil paints to create translucent, almost ghost-like figures surrounded by beautiful nature scenes. 

“I try to save what is in the background so the translucent figure will kind of enhance and come forward,” says Llanes. “In ‘The Poet’ there are these characters, entities that show different places, especially in nature. I feel that we are a part of nature, a part of this universe, so I paint with transparency.” For Llanes these faceless figures represent our souls. “And I think that is very poetic,” he says.

In addition to creating his own work, Llanes wants to help the art community do the same. To accomplish this, he visits schools like Carrollton to share his knowledge and lessons he has learned as an artist. Llanes emphasizes the value of having a good work ethic but also the importance of remembering the reasons for pursuing that work .

“Keep following your dreams,” says Llanes. “Go to museums, talk to artists, don’t give up, always work, work, and work, but have fun and remember why you do it.”