A unique exhibition of portrait paintings on Starbucks paper is on display at a Starbucks store on South Shuicheng Road in Shanghai. All of the paintings came from one artist, Mark Montgomery, who is an American art teacher at the Yew Chung International School in Shanghai. The paintings are mostly abstract doodles featuring human portraits. What makes them unique is that they are actually painted on the paper envelopes used to wrap the cutlery in the store. Starbucks has wrapped its cutlery in these envelopes since the epidemic began this year as a safety precaution.

The first paper painting that Mark made featured the view of Shuicheng South Road when he sat by the window in this store in April. The lush roadside trees have the characteristic of meticulous Chinese painting, while the distant clouds and the textured sky show the charm of Japanese painting.

The subjects of Mark’s paintings come from all walks of life. Among the exhibits in the store, there is a portrait in tribute to John Prine, an American legendary singer and composer who passed away in the coronavirus epidemic this year. Some of his other paintings are of ordinary people. One of his favourite paintings is of an elderly Chinese man from a news photo.“I like the wrinkles on his face, as if they are telling me about his life stories,” Mark said. He also tries to use more colour tin his paintings. Apart from original black and white, strong colour like orange and red starts to emerge in more of his artworks.

(Mark and his painting)

Mark came to Shanghai about ten years ago. During this time he has been amazed by the fast-paced development of the city.“Sometimes a place that I have just got to know would change into a completely new brand or landscape within just two weeks. I feel that every corner in this city may change its appearance at any time,” he said.

The dedicated and careful front line anti-epidemic work of community volunteers has even given him a deeper understanding of the Chinese people and Shanghai governance.

I like the skyscrapers in Shanghai as well as the Chinese parasol trees and old western style houses. I also enjoy the open and peaceful living environment in my community. It’s hard not to fall in love with everything here,” Mark said.