A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

Last year, I interviewed internationally-reknowned coffee artist Sunshine Plata for the Varsitarian's Breaktime Magazine 2008 summer issue. Sadly, the magazine did not push through and my article got filed into the cabinet of forgotten articles which will only see the light of day when there is no other article that may be published. This statement even sounds hopeful enough because I don't think Varsitarian writers will let a month pass by without any timely piece to write. So, in other words, my article was left to rot in the database of the Varsi computer system. Hopefully, my friend Raydon, who was the features editor, and the person in charge of the Breaktime magazine for 2009 told me he could include my article on this year's issue. How greatly elated I was for that news because I promised Ms. Plata's family that I will personally deliver the magazine to them. Only to note, Ms. Plata's family and herself are a bunch of very inviting and pleasant people. Having made such promise, imagine my disappointment when my friend told me that the article was scrapped from the magazine! He said Sir Lito, the publications adviser of the Varsitarian, had it removed! I don't think my article is that despicable. I must admit I am hurt and definitely disappointed by it. I believe the timeliness of the article was the reason why he prevented my article from reaching print. Ms. Plata was quite well-known during the time I interviewed her and when I wrote the article. She even appeared in Unang Hirit and her paintings appeared in Martha! Yes, the Martha Stewart show. Rant as much as I want though, there's nothing more I can do about it now.

For all its worth, here's my article of Ms. Sunshine Plata — the girl who used coffee on her canvass.

Coffee Painter Sunshine Plata: The girl who drank and drew with coffee

THOMASIAN alumna Sunshine Plata never wanted to be a doctor. All she wanted was to paint.
Exasperated with dissecting a frog for her homework, she decided to skip her tedious homework and painted on her canvas. Discovering that she ran out of oil paint, she immediately rummaged through the kitchen cabinet for a potential, alternative medium she once saw in Ripley’s Believe it or Not—coffee.
Little did she know that this light bulb moment would launch her career as an internationally-renowned coffee painter, whose very own aromatic art pieces are now displayed in Times Square, New York and owned by reputable names in society.

Bottled-up
Plata’s art was not only that of serendipity. In her case, it was her obscured destiny.
Although painting is Plata’s passion, she took up Psychology in the University.
“It was my grandfather’s dying wish for me to become a doctor so I took up a pre-med course that I knew I could handle and that was Psychology,” Plata recalled.
Coming from a family of Thomasians, Plata chose to study in UST. Having studied in exclusive schools all her life, her entrance in UST gave her a culture shock.
“There are so many boys,” Plata recalls. “I also had to learn to be independent and to handle myself well.”
In a new surrounding, Plata made a lot of new friends.
“It was nice to meet friends coming from different walks of life. I believe getting to mingle with different kinds of personalities made my totality as a whole person,” Plata said.
Although she was getting used to studying Psychology, Plata quite often stared forlornly at the CAFA students who were doing what she wanted to do.
By her second year in college, she finally put her foot down and asked her parents if she could shift to Fine Arts.
With much luck, Plata’s parents agreed and she took the examination test for shifting.
But the odds were against Plata‘s favor. Out of the 50 shifters, only three were selected. Haplessly, she was not one of them.
“I started to question myself and my ability to paint. I had no choice but to continue Psychology,” she said.
Plata graduated in 2002. One year after, she applied as a preschool teacher at Paref Woodrose School (Woodrose). Although her job was cerebral in nature, she always took to account her artistic side. Aside from being a teacher, Plata was also the official paint designer in Woodrose, designing and decorating the stages and backdrops during school programs.
Running out of ideas to use for the school’s 2007 recognition day backdrop, Plata revived the medium she discovered back in college. Using a cornucopia of Nescafe packs, Plata painted a massive sepia-toned backdrop of kids lolling and playing around.
“Many parents liked the painting a lot! When they approached me, I would tell them that it is made of coffee and they would smell it. Truly, they were amazed,” Plata said.

Sprawling success
With her bottled-up passion struggling to burst, Plata finally lifted the seal and gave in to her long-time passion. She quit her pre-school job and started to concentrate on her coffee craft full time.
Yearning to have a solo exhibit, Plata thought of ways to shoulder the expenses, until she finally decided to request for sponsorship from coffee magnate Nescafe.
“I had to beg Nescafe for sponsorship and thankfully they obliged,” she said.
In exchange for the sponsorship, Plata gave the company a painting that would be suitable for Nescafe’s new line of strong coffee, First Pick.
By January 3, 2008, Plata finished the coffee painting of a farmer harvesting coffee—all worth a whopping P 80,000.
“They were happy with the outcome of my painting so Nestle was the first who recognized me as a coffee painter,” Plata said.
With Nescafe’s sponsorship in the pocket, Plata held her first solo exhibit at the Instituto de Cervantes last January. A true Thomasian, Plata’s first coffee art is actually that of the UST Main Building.
“I’m very proud of the UST Main Building. The statues there are still beautiful even though its centuries old.”
With a very unique medium for painting, art critics everywhere cannot help but admire Plata’s coffee art. A number of prominent people in the Philippines have even purchased her coffee paintings, such as Francisco Duque, Secretary of Health; and Butch Nazareno, Burger King President; and Rene Carpio, renowned Filipino director.
Plata’s paintings are not just popular in the Philippines. It also gained worldwide recognition.
Believe it or not, the show that became her inspiration for using coffee as painting medium—Ripley’s Believe it or Not, purchased two of her paintings—“Fairy of Sorrows” and “Reina dela Luna.”
“Ripley’s vice-president told me they would put them in Korea and Mexico,” Plata said.
But, Plata’s paintings did not reach Korea or Mexico. The paintings went somewhere far more prestigious—they were featured in domestic diva Martha Stewart’s daytime stint the Martha.
Plata’s paintings were showcased in the Martha show’s episode titled “Art that Fools the Eye,” where odd paintings amassed by Ripley’s were shown. Saved best for last, Plata’s painting “Fairy of Sorrow” amazed audiences at studio and at home, especially when Martha told the audience that it was made from coffee.
In the peak of her success, Plata admitted she had second thoughts about her sensational career and even planned to get back to teaching. What changed the genius mind was a school-conducted seminar. Plata immediately had a change of heart.
“The seminar conductor said that when something keeps knocking at your door and you keep putting it off, it would keep coming back until you answer it. It made me realize that I do not want to leave painting,” Plata said. “I will only leave painting when I can no longer paint.”
After eight years of dabbling coffee on the canvas, Plata continues to concoct more ways to maximize the potential of her unique medium. With much knowledge from research and trial-and-error, she has blotched dark hues and light stains parallel to an aged paper on watercolor paper through careful examination and precise measuring of the amount of coffee she uses to paint. Plata’s artworks are designed to last longer than 75 years.

Despite her long and steep climb to success, Plata only has a word of gratitude to say to her ordeals.
“I took it as a challenge because if you want something bad you have to work for it,” Plata said.
With all the attention Plata is basking on, she admits of feeling overwhelmed by it.
“I guess luck and God’s will made all this happen,” she said. “I did not paint to make myself well-known. I just used my talent to glorify God because I think this is the best way I can do to give it back to him.” Tanya Justine R. Baldovino #