On first glance, Lena Easton's portraits look like they are monochromatic brown watercolors.

The rich shades vary from a light wheat color on the clothing and in the background to a dark umber in the pupils.

But it 's not watercolor. It's coffee.

"It's always a look of shock," Easton said of people's reaction when they find out the work's medium. "Some of them think it 's pencil. It's very surprising, but (their reaction) is always very positive."

Easton's work is being presented , along with fellow Thornton resident Jean Barban , at the Thornton Community Artist Exhibit. The exhibit is in the city's City Development building, northwest of Thornton City Hall , 9500 Civic Center Drive, through March 7.

Easton's technique works much like watercolor. It took about a year to find a consistency - and coffee brand - that worked, but she places instant coffee into a cup. She dabbles a little bit of water in until it develops syrup-like consistency, and she's ready to work.

She other types of coffee, it its typical drinkable form, when she needs different shades. She can usually pick out the coffees by name, having worked as a coffee barista for four years. That includes time as a manager at Allegro Coffee in Thornton, where she first showed off her caffeinated works.

"It's really unique," said Linda Lowe, volunteer art and culture coordinator for the City of Thornton. "I just think it 's the quality of the work - it 's very well done in a unique medium. I'll never look at coffee the same way."

Easton has done portraits in pencil since she was a child, but she's found numerous benefits to working in coffee, which she started dabbling with in November of 2006.

First is the effect.

"I love the look of coffee," she said. "It has a little bit of shine in it, and it would make what I do a little more interesting."

Easton also wanted to stay monochromatic.

"When I paint a picture, I put a lot of detail in it. I want it to be appreciated. I don't want colors to distract. I want people to focus on that face," she said.

Coffee also is a very forgiving medium. Easton said she can make changes in her work two weeks after originally applying the coffee, just with some water. She also said the fluidness allows her to work faster and more smoothly than with watercolor.

The coffee also provides a pleasant environment in the spare bedroom of her family's house.

"It smells wonderful - a lot better then smelling paint and paint cleaner," she said.

This has helped her to become a much more focused, faster and proficient artist.

"I'm not sure if that's because of experience or because of the coffee," she said.