DON’T DRINK THIS COFFEE

Local artist to have a reception at Jo’s Cafe

What better art to adorn the walls of a coffee shop than a fake coffee brand beautifully shot on camera? Local artist Alan Michnoff is the photographer behind Don’t Drink this Coffee, a colorful non-potable coffee brand that is the feature of product photos now hung on the walls at Jo’s Cafe. There will be an artist reception from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sept. 21 held at Jo’s, which, according to Michnoff, will be an opportunity for the community to meet him and tell him “how much you hate it or love it” or to “avoid eye contact” with him if you so choose.

“To me, advertising is telling a narrative with little information, and I hope that the viewers can write their own stories behind these photos based on the context clues within them,” Michnoff said, adding the tagline, “Find your flavor and add a splash of stupidity to your cup of joe.”

Michnoff’s artistic background has always been behind the camera but began with moving images before the incorporation of still images into his practice around 2018.

“I went to film school, and I was very passionate about movies and movie making and pursued that professionally for a little bit before finding comfort and affinity for photography,” Michnoff said. “Photography kind of became the hobby outside of film, where I could have a quick turnaround, and it felt satisfying. … It just became a lot more fun. It was the thing that I was allowed to be bad at for a while, or at least, that's how I saw it. Then I began to take it more seriously, and now I'm no longer allowed to be bad at it. I have to be okay at it.”

He defines his style as “minimalist colorful stupidity” with “theatrical” lighting, which is a fitting description with his use of vibrant colors, simple backgrounds and quirky subject matter. Michnoff prefers studio portraiture as it is easier to play with light, which one might argue is the star of his photos as it displays high contrast and is poignantly placed both spotlighting or using shadow to emphasize critical elements.

“As I was learning photography and taking it more seriously, I was also taking clown classes for the first time, and I just couldn't help but merge those two interests,” Michnoff said. “You can make something beautiful and moronic at the same time, and I think threading that needle really tickles me. … I believe, with art, if it tickles me, then it’ll tickle somebody else too.”

As for his most recent art venture, the whole project came into existence when Bekah Porter, Jo’s Cafe art curator, reached out to him after seeing his work during the San Marcos Studio Tour hosted by Mothership Studios.

“My fiancé encouraged me to showcase some older work that has not had the opportunity to be printed at a larger scale, but I was dead set on creating something totally new and, maybe, specifically for that gallery environment,” Michnoff said. “I was like, ‘I should do product photography of coffee, but in my way.’ Then that kind of spurred the idea of, ‘Well, it has to be colorful. If it's colorful, it's probably going to not be drinkable.’ So Don't Drink This Coffee came into existence.”

Julia Fae, his fiance, helped with the production process, set design and the coloring of the coffee beans and beverages used in the shots.

“We experimented for a long time on what was going to be the right hue and the right paint and how to do it efficiently,” Michnoff said. “Rusty Grindstaff provided a lot of the creative copywriting — some of it is seen and some of it him and I just kind of needed ideas of what the branding identities were... Then Chase Talley did the logo design.”

Michnoff said he also received the help of a local print shop, Lago Vista Film Lab, which processed, scanned and printed the materials and “was instrumental in helping me navigate technical concerns and ensuring the final result was up to snuff.”

Check out his work on instagram at @thealanyo and his exhibit, Don’t Drink this Coffee, at Jo’s Cafe or get a sneak preview @dontdrinkthis.coffee.