Coffee Cups
This is Big Mike; he had my back when stuff got weird.
These are from back in the day, when I managed a cafe in the red light district of SF.
Gary was a regular. We had us hold onto his cup for him, he'd come back and reuse it throughout the day. I drew on his cup so it wouldn't get thrown out. That's what started this whole thing.
Cos then some other regulars started asking, "Where's MY cup drawing?"
There's a cool ephemeral nature to drawings on a coffee cup. Now it's special. "Chosen".
It becomes the envy of undecorated cups.
"Listen, Jimmy's Paper Mug, we don't like the way acting lately. Putting on airs."
I gold leafed one.
Sometimes I'd ask people what they wanted on their cups, on a slow day. Sometimes I'd prepare it for the regulars.
This is the kind of 'lowbrow art' stuff I personally quite dig. It's fine if a lot of people don't get the chaotic simplicity or aren't into it, but I feel like this is what it's all about, as far as I'm concerned; basically the whole ethos of art making. These remain some of the drawings I'm most happy with, lifelong to date.
The dude in the left foreground was done by Dingo, not me.
Sometimes people gave them back to me when they finished their drinks. Usually they kept them. Once in awhile someone slammed it into the trash. Sometimes people threw it away nonchalantly.
Realistically, what are you supposed to do with cup art?
But also, why are we consuming so much to throw it away constantly, ya know? Not trying to get deep or anything, but it does sorta draw attention to a culture of disposability. It's funny in a way, those rare times when someone would *aggressively* smash it into the trash as if in rebuke, deliberately looking me in the eye. What was that even about? Kind of hilarious, though.
I do feel like it was a bit. Choreography of an existential joke. Everyone playing their part.