Each work begins as a shot of espresso — layered, diluted, and coaxed into portraits and scenes in every shade the bean can give, from pale crema to the deepest ristretto. Prints of the originals are made on archival paper and shipped worldwide.
Tracy writes only when there is something to say — a painting finished, a print made available, the work hung somewhere it can be seen in person. A few times a year at most. The list is never shared.
Tracy de Chevron Villette was raised across eleven countries and trained at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in England, then spent over a decade as a jewelry designer in London, France and Tokyo. In 2013 she relocated to Sarasota, Florida.
Her paintings are made entirely with espresso. Depth comes from layering and dilution rather than pigment, so the whole range — from the palest wash to the deepest ristretto — is drawn out of a single ingredient.
In 2016 she founded The Clever Cup in Gulf Gate, Sarasota — part coffee shop, part gallery, built on the idea that a café is a less intimidating place to meet art than a gallery. Her originals hang on its walls, where they can be seen with a cup in hand.
Visit the originals · The Clever Cup · Gulf Gate, Sarasota FL