Down on South Fourth Street, there is a nook of a coffee shop called Red Hook that always has great art hanging from its walls and, sometimes, the chill beats of a DJ pumping out into the surrounding South Philly neighborhood. Not to mention its coffee, tea and freshly made (often vegetarian-friendly) food.

If you’re in the area, stopping by the cozy café you would find rough-hewn brick walls and an eclectic décor that is about as inviting as a warm latte on a cool fall day. As an art lover, it doesn’t hurt to have some bright colors and gnarly patterns on display, as well, and right now Red Hook Coffee and Tea offers just that in the form of painter and muralist Charles Barbin.

His works seem biologically inspired, and it would be unsurprising to find images like these at the end of a microscope — except for the vibrant colors, perhaps. Round, amoeba-like pods bulge beneath curved lines and pink bubbles on his canvases. The sheen of his glossy paint adds to the appearance of liquid, and the canvases often seem as if they haven’t even gotten a chance to dry.

One painting takes a trippy look at an otherwise sore topic for many city residents: bedbugs. Both biological and ubiquitous, it’s a quaint way to picture these creatures everyone loves to hate. On Barbin’s canvas they are abnormally large, and pleasantly shaded in light purples, oranges and greens. It’s a shame they don’t really come in such interesting hues, but it is a relief that they aren’t the size of mice.

Barbin loves layering and uses it strongly in all of his paintings. His painting of whimsical yellow boxes overlaying teal-colored swirls is heavily contrasted and, at closer inspection, it also has a smooth, bumpy texture. His bold colors and meandering forms are no doubt a huge help as a mural artist. In Philadelphia, it takes something really eye-catching to compete with the innumerable murals around the city.

It’s almost the perfect temperature outside for a hot cup of coffee, and it’s never a bad time for vegan chicken salad or great art. If you’re down around Southeast Philly, take a stop into Red Hook and you can kill three birds with one stone. Also, keep up with its newest menu items by friending the Red Hook Hooker on Facebook.

Red Hook Coffee and Tea is located at 765 S. Fourth St.; 215-923-0178.