The Rogue Palette: Coffee Rush Monsoon

I was searching online to find good outdoor images of Coffee Rush in Chandler to show you the coffee house some of my prints are in, when I found these photos by Steven Noyes. When I came by to set up my artwork, there wasn't exactly a monsoon going on, but it was still pretty beautiful with the lake and outdoor patio. The whole setting reminds me of living in China. We lived in an apartment complex with a man made river that went through it, interspersed with fountains and singing bushes, and filled with hundreds of river fish. (They play music in the bushes along the walk. A couple times we heard the soundtrack from Final Fantasy).

It felt a little like home. I know that sounds strange, being that it reminded me of China, a foreign place on the other side of the globe where people speak a dozen different versions of the same language and eat chickens feet, but we lived there for over 2 years. In all my life I've never lived in one place longer than 3 years, so China became an official home. One of many, but a home just the same.

Most of our stomping grounds in China had outdoor patios like this, a few had man made rivers and lakes and the best part was going out to hang out at our favorite spot during a typhoon to watch the people skitter away from the lightning, wondering what the hell three guei los were doing out in the rain.

I liked Coffee Rush when I first came in to set up. I liked the outdoor patio where us ostricized smokers can smoke to our delight. I liked the coffee, which was damn good and damn affordable. I seriously dug the lake and the fact that I had something beautiful to look at beyond a few scattered trees and shrubs. After seeing these photos, though; I love it. Next monsoon season, I am coming back here with my camera, sitting down with a coffee and making the locals wonder what this white girl is doing out in the rain.

Oh right, the original point of this post: I have my art up in Coffee Rush, and it will be there for about a month. There's matted prints, ranging from 8.5 x 11's to 16 x 20, and there's even one canvas print of one of my favorites, "Falling To Pieces". I just got those black mats, and I think I'm in love. They really make the colors stand out. I think I will be doing more like those.