The time has finally come to have Tor's art showing at one of my favorite places, Mill No. 5! This venue is incredibly unique, and I have been on the waitlist for over a year now at Coffee and Cotton, so please go and check it out. It is well worth the visit, even the very old elevator ride up to the 4th floor. There are windy vintage stairs as well, if you prefer. Mill No. 5 is also air conditioned, which I greatly appreciate in the summer. So many shops to choose from, and there are even more on the 5th floor! I never seem to make it up to that floor, because my wallet always empties out too quick, usually its the Red Antler Apothecary store, and I am more than OK with it. Gotta stock up on my soap! This store also has bath bombs, muscle knot sauce, tinctures, teas, and all things self-care. And who doesn't need that these days?!
Coffee and Cotton is a go-to place for many of the college students in the area, bringing their laptops and studying, in the vintage bulb glow over the bar. Yes, their is also a bar! With wine and beer, so many grilled cheeses, and now they carry salads on their menu as well, for the more health conscious. They even have gluten free bread, I usually get a BLT, because they make the perfect bacon. I am talking to you, vegans, I know ya'll love the bacon on a cheat day! There are three different areas to sit in, which makes it nice to easily find a more private table. I love meeting up with friends here, it's the perfect central location in Mill No. 5 to refuel your energy with beverages or food.
It is also a great place to pick up a cappuccino, and head to the Luna Theater after, and watch an off-the-wall independent movie. I personally love their "Weirdo Wednesday's," when all of the movies are free, because they are so weird! There are many events that also take place at Mill No. 5, here is a calendar of what's coming up. "Open Mic Night" happens every Third Friday of the month at Coffee and Cotton, and every Third Thursday is "Spins and Needles," which is run by a DJ with vinyl only, love that! And every Sunday, there is a Farmers Market, which even runs throughout the winter, I am sure the farmers in the area greatly appreciate it.
The main room has a lovely large display area for art, which they rotate every few months, by a different artist in the area. I honestly wish more restaurants did this, because it is SO hard to show artwork around here, without paying a substantial fee for it. Most art galleries take about 30-40% of the total sales of artwork, which I understand, but it makes it very tough on the total income from art sales. And I really like to keep my prices not too high, so that the people I know can actually afford it. Coffee and Cotton doesn't charge the artists, and I also love the lighting and hanging system they have in place, to make it much easier to swap artist's work around.
There are about 14 paintings in this art showing, and most of them I created in the year 2023. My color palette has become a lot more neutralized, and I think a lot of it has to do with my use of the medium egg tempera. It adds a slight yellow-ish hue to all of the colors, because of the egg yolk in the medium. I am loving how the thin layering appears in person, it has a completely different feeling from acrylic paint. I do usually start the under-painting in acrylic, since it dries so much faster, and tempera easily layers on top of it. Please let me know what you think, and if you are interested in purchasing any of these pieces currently for sale! Check out the pricing on my Ahht work page.