State Library of Queensland Cafe

I have long had a love affair with Matisse's paintings, but today I finally went to the Matisse: Drawing Life exhibition at GOMA.  It was wonderful to discover another side of his work, even if I was alongside 3 school groups as well as the general public.  His brevity really appeals to me, as well as his use of pattern.  A lot of the drawings reminded me of the illustrations from a book I read years ago, the name of which I forget - but set in the 1920s.

My favourite was of a violinist (surprise, surprise), possibly the largest work on display.  If I had the means...  What really surprised me was the lack of prints in the merchandise section.  Which is great for my bank balance, but a little disappointing.  I would have loved a print of the violinist, but I had to content myself with a fridge magnet of another work, Patitcha souriante (Pititcha smiling), and a drawing pad.

By the time I had finished, it was well and truly coffee time.  Last week I had noticed the State Library has become a very cool place, so I stopped for a coffee in their cafe.  Quite a cool day, and a couple of hours in air conditioning meant I was already turning purple, so I chose to sit outside instead of in the cosy (but chilly) indoors.  I don't know if it was the time of day, the day of the week, or just because, but outside resembled a childcare centre.  Lots of vocal, energetic little people.  I was really impressed with a bloke sitting in front of me, wired into his laptop and seemingly unaware of the amount of noise surrounding him.  The price of a muffin (not that I had one, mind you) caused me to anticipate high prices, but a mug here was cheaper than a cup at many establishments.  The coffee was good, and the froth even better - one of those where you just want to sculpt something in the foam.  I resisted, though.