Enjoy these breathtaking photos from the Nigerian artist who uses coffee to draw

Four years ago, Ekene Ngige had a spill of coffee on his notepad during a meeting but he loved what he saw.

“The color was so beautiful on the paper, the texture so beautiful that I thought it could make a very beautiful work,” he said.

After a year or two, Ngige, who had studied fine arts, began combining his love for coffee with his creative skills to make stunning artwork from the beverage.

“Experimenting with coffee had never crossed my mind until then. My first coffee painting turned out very nice, and people were amazed the piece was actually made of coffee,” the 36-year-old Nigerian artist told SBS.

Ngige normally spends at least five hours a day in his Lagos studio, painting. His works cover happenings in his country, including telling stories of poverty, domestic violence and terrorism, particularly, the girls who were kidnapped by the Boko Haram terror group in Nigeria.

“I sketch my canvas myself,” he said. “I add a rough texture to the canvas. Then I dilute my coffee powder with little drops of water, so I can easily control the light shades with my wet brush. Then, I paint the canvas with the light shade of coffee. After it’s done, I varnish the painting with a gloss for a shiny effect and a long-lasting life span, and it’s ready to brace any wall or home.”

Check out some eye-catching photos from Ngige below: