Java Planet dishes up a mean Latte.

Conscious Cup knows how to roast a bean.

Jen is in the kitchen baking muffins. Fresh apple donut muffins are such a simple thing. Pumpkin muffins with fresh cranberry glaze make the season. Fresh magic bars and brownies finish the display out front.

Coffee hot, espresso drawn and tasted, fresh cream at hand, we pull a string and “open” lights up. Dale, always one of our first, rolls in and settles into a corner seat, waiting on friends.

Tomorrow, we start again, only it will be darker longer. Remember to set your clocks back an hour tonight. Use the free hour wisely.

"At Bat" by Colin Burke on exhibit at Conscious Cup Coffee.

Colin Burke is a big fan of comic books, especially the exaggerated poses, bold lines, and striking colors of superhero comics. At the same time, he is fascinated with abstract paintings that feature heavy use of texture and color.

It is Colin’s appreciation for these two styles of art that drives him to create his own work. He brings elements of both illustrative and abstract artwork into his paintings. Colin captures emotion and energy in the subject of the work through color and texture. This style allows for constant experimentation, making every painting new and exciting.

You can find more of Colin’s work at swirlingpaint.com, as well as prints of most of his paintings.

If interested in purchasing a painting, please contact Colin through email at swirlingpaint@gmail.com, or by phone at 224-805-3840. 20% of all sales from this show will be donated to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.

Colin grew up in Cary, IL, and received a B.F.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL. His work has been shown in various art fairs around northern Illinois, and has received several awards.

First, there is the coffee. God’s caffeinated gift to the world. The only addiction accepted by all forms of society. Second, there is coffee-shop music. Always acoustic, always laid-back, always beckoning you to stay awhile, make yourself at home. Third and final, are the people. Everybody who comes to a coffee shop to study is automatically elevated in cool status. No questions, it’s an automatic bump in hipness.

Before you knock it, you have to try it. The next time you are in a rut at work or creatively, head to your nearest coffee shop, order up some tasty caffeine-induced treat, and get ready to enter your new zone.

P.S.: This post is brought to you by Conscious Cup located in Crystal Lake, IL. “Coffee so good, it makes your head hurt.”