While tradition is essential in the arts, non-traditional methods can spawn works that become important contributions to the field. When Sunshine Plata began her coffee art, she was just a college student dabbling in painting and looking for a medium that was cheaper, more accessible and unique. Little did she expect that her coffee paintings would take off and launch her career as an artist.

A former preschool teacher, Plata started out on a different path, taking up psychology at the University of Santo Tomas. She was a college sophomore when she realized her passion for painting and started with watercolors and oils. Her art reflected the things she read, heard and saw.

Feeling guilty that her parents were willing to spend for her art materials, she sought a more affordable medium, and in 2000 she started using coffee in lieu of the pricier oils and watercolors. The idea came to her after seeing a 19th century signature done in coffee at the Ripley's Museum in the Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong City.

Though Plata has proven herself a unique and gifted artist, she had challenges to overcome, as many galleries were not willing to let her exhibit her works, claiming that coffee is not a legitimate medium. However, she didn't believe that creative expression should be limited, and she eventually found a supporter in Nestlé Philippines, manufacturer or Nescafé coffee. The company sponsored her first solo exhibit that was held in January 2008, where 27 of the 33 works she displayed were sold in a single night.

Ripley's Museum New York bought two of her works – “Fairy of Sorrows” and “Reina de la Luna” – for $ 2,500, while one of her other paintings was featured in the April Fool's Day special of Martha Stewart's TV program, where the audience were made to guess what medium was used. A couple of her works – “Henna Banana” and “Rastah Mahn” – were sent to London for viewing, while a swan painting and a triptych were brought to Canada. In March 2008, Plata was featured in a Ripley's Believe It Or Not! special edition cartoon as an artist who creates pictures using coffee grounds.

Even after years of working with the medium, Plata is constantly learning the ins and outs of painting with coffee. She sees it not as limiting, but as a challenge that encourages her creativity. She continues to render the fairies of her dreams and of children's books she reads in brown and white. She does miss colors, however, and intends to work with mixed media as well. She also wishes to try other organic media in her paintings.

Plata draws inspiration for a number of sources – her imagination, picture books and illustrations, a love for doodling, and of course, the encouragement of her family and friends. She hopes that her art encourages other people to think out of the box and develop a more creative outlook in life. She also hopes that it creates an awareness of the possibilities of art and how anyone from any walk of life can make art. With unique ideas, creativity can be expressed in limitless ways.