Commercial photographer Michael Mahovlich decided that if he was going to capture images of our coffee culture here in North America, it only made sense that he research just how it is grown and harvested.
Mahovlich, who has a studio in the Bloor Street West and Symington Avenue area, contacted the owner of the Junction's Crema Coffee, who happened to live in Costa Rica for a stint.
The two decided to travel to Guatemala. The Central American country produces 10 per cent of the world's coffee, said Mahovlich. And yet, he said he was shocked to learn that the coffee culture we have here doesn't exist there.
"You wouldn't believe the valleys of coffee. There's coffee as far as the eye can see," recalled Mahovlich during an interview at Crema on Thursday morning, May 6. "But, they drink the weakest instant coffee. In Guatemala City, you'll find a few cafes, but if you go out into the sticks, there's nothing. They're getting their first Starbucks this year."
That night was the opening reception of his 'Coffee Colour' exhibit at the popular cafe at the Quebec Avenue and Dundas Street West corner. Mahovlich is taking part in this year's Contact Photography Festival. He is one of 28 local, Canadian and international artists showcasing their work at 21 Junction businesses for the month of May.
In Guatemala in late January, early February of this year, Mahovlich documented its coffee harvest from behind his lens. Inspired by the work of Shepard Fairey, the American contemporary artist, graphic designer, and illustrator, who garnered international attention for his Barack Obama 'HOPE' poster, Mahovlich decided to adopt his technique.
"I had this coffee imagery inspiration. Last summer, I went to Boston and saw a show of Shepard Fairey's work," said Mahovlich. "He takes photographs and simplifies them."
Familiarizing himself with the program Adobe Illustrator, Mahovlich said he learned to make vector art out of his photography.
"This is the thing that excites me. As a photographer, when I enlarge a photograph, I lose the black. It breaks apart. As a vector art, the black remains black and the colour remains saturated," he said. "It's so exciting for me to see those images enlarged and not lose their integrity."
Every weekend, Mahovlich was in his basement completely immersed in the Illustrator program.
He's also been to different cafes, hanging out, learning about different coffee houses in Toronto. It was on this quest that he found the 'Gaggia,' the pioneer of espresso machines. The Gaggia is featured in his Coffee Colour exhibit and has a prominent place on the wall at Crema Coffee.
Mahovlich decided he wanted to become a photographer at 14 years of age. It was the first time he stepped foot in a photography studio on the Esplanade and fell in love with the environment.
'This is where I'd like to work someday,' he thought.
"I was always artistically inclined," he recalled.
Growing up in North Toronto, he said his high school happened to have a camera club.
By day, he's a commercial advertising photographer, but he's always indulged in fine art photography as a hobby.
"It's a personal thing," he said. "This is just for fun."