Cocktail

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Bar art collection is presented here as a set of five popular tropical drinks. Drink art painted by Steve Simon.

Bar art, for lack of a better term, has a real ability to bring emotions to the surface. It is said that our sense of smell is the strongest sensory trigger of memories. Food and drink with their connection to our olfactory systems are, therefore, inextricably tied to our memories and our emotions that we carry with these memories.

A quick glance at the tropical cocktail art collection presented here by Steve Simon and we see an obvious preference for the artist to “remember” fond experiences, particularly as they might pertain to leisure travel.

Cocktail pictures, especially when accented with light whimsy, put us in that “relax, don’t worry” place. This is, of course, a healthy place to visit if not always necessarily with a drink. Drink art, whether you prefer yours with or without alcohol, can allow us to quickly revisit good times with friends and memorable places. At its highest level, such art can ground us with the joy in the simple intimacy of the most fundamental manner in which we commune with nature. There is something mystical about consuming something in a gracious fashion that gives of itself for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. When viewed through this lens, eating and drinking can be seen as the quintessence of generosity and gratitude. It is this lofty sense that this collection of cocktail art hopes to humbly suggest.

The only image in this collection that was painted from an impromptu moment was the “Cervezas y Nachos” piece. It occurred on the artist’s first anniversary. Simon and his wife took a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to celebrate. Prior to their lunch arriving, the artist’s wife went to use the restroom. Sitting alone at the table in a peaceful, contemplative state of mind, Simon gathered the simple beauty of the beer and appetizer still life before him. He snapped a quick photograph from which he would later paint, eventually giving rise to the inspiration of creating a collection of such bar art.

The “Mariachi Margarita” was then painted from a staged still life Simon created, including mariachi figurines he purchased for the composition. Adding this extra touch of whimsy, the artist injected a sense of light-hearted humor to the cocktail artwork.

It was this humor that was explored again with the hula figurines in the very popular “Mai Tai” and “Blue Hawaiian” pieces. Cut tropical flowers were also introduced to further integrate the still life with the environment. Here the artist succeeds at visually communicating that enigmatic sense of aloha we wish we could all bottle up and take home with us. In a sense, this is what these pieces along with “Pina Colada” strive to do. Aloha cannot be canned or bottled but it can be triggered as a memory. The sights, sounds, feelings, and--most importantly to our memories--the smells and tastes that return us to that feeling can indeed be painted.

Cocktail paintings and cocktail prints are, therefore, a wonderful way to bring those energies into the home, restaurant, or bar. We hope you enjoy this collection of drink art and the memories each piece may ignite.

Recipes for the four cocktails are included in the detailed descriptions of each image. The recipes include: mai tai recipe, blue hawaiian recipe, margarita recipe, and pina colada recipe. To view each recipe click on the respected drink image and scroll down to the painting description.