By: centraljersey.com
A cell phone can be used for much more than making calls.
It can be used as a GPS, a web browser, a calculator and a camera – and a canvas for artistic drawings.
The Blue Rooster Bakery and Cafe on Main Street in Cranbury is displaying the artwork of Rich Tarpinian, of Fountayne Lane, in Lawrence, who draws sketches with his SketchBook Mobile application by Autodesk on his 3GS iPhone.
Mr. Tarpinian, 51, has drawn150 sketches on the 2-inch by 3-inch phone using just his index finger.
The Blue Rooster is displaying and selling the artwork.
Mr. Tarpinian and his wife, Darla, also will perform as a jazz duo at the Blue Rooster on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. while Mr. Tarpinian’s art is on display.
Mr. Tarpinian, a musician and guitar teacher by trade, started drawing on his iPhone early last year, and his wife gave him the idea to print out, frame and possibly sell the sketches.
Karen Finigan, owner of The Blue Rooster, said the artwork had a successful premiere showing at her restaurant Jan. 30.
"About 40 people came through, and we sold a few pieces," she said.
The drawings, called iARTRich, are simple sketches similar to pen-and-ink doodles, but the simplicity has an effect on the observer, Ms. Finigan said.
"At first, I thought I’m not really sure (about iARTRich drawings), but they really grow on you," she said. "It certainly isn’t mainstream, but it’s fun and light-hearted."
She added, "We have supported local artists from the beginning. This is probably the most unusual that we’ve had so far."
She’s selling the iARTRich drawings right off the wall, then putting up replacements. Ms. Finigan said they have about 12 different pieces of Mr. Tarpinian’s artwork.
iARTRich prints are produced using a high-quality digital inkjet printer. Prints of the drawings can be bought through the website for $65 framed or $30 unframed.
Mr. Tarpinian explained how this hobby of his began.
"It’s kind of strange. I sort of just happened upon it," he said. "I had an iPhone. I always had it with me so whenever I have some time, I took out my iPhone, and I’d draw."
He explained how he likes the limitations of this new art form.
"You’ve got a limited facility with your index finger," he said. "I have to leave things out and sort of suggest shapes and images. That led me into a sort of minimalist style. At first, it was out of necessity, but I started to enjoy it. It made me really think about what I was trying to create in terms of expressions and actions, implications and scenes."
He added, "It became an instant form of expression. It’s so organic since you’re drawing with your index finger."
He said he always enjoyed drawing, but never had a medium convenient enough for him until now.
"When an idea occurs to me, I don’t have to wait," he said.
Mr. Tarpinian said he is reluctant to call himself an artist.
"I have friends who are artists. Artist is a term I’d reserve for them. But I’m not hesitant to call the drawings art," he said.
His professional artistic expression is through his music, he said.
Mr. Tarpinian and his wife have played together in a jazz vocal and instrumental duo since 1995, playing mostly in wineries, restaurants and at weddings.
He teaches guitar at handful of music schools and teaches individual lessons.
Mr. Tarpinian and his wife’s performance at the Blue Rooster on Friday will be the first time they’re performing there.
Mr. Tarpinian explained how his interest in jazz might have influenced his iARTRich style. "I’ve seen a lot of black-and-white photos of jazz musicians, and I thought they looked really great in black and white," he said.
The most significant parts of those photos is the lighting that highlights only certain areas, he said.
He said his iPhone drawing style could possible be reflective of those photos.
He also explained how his wife has been the one doing most of the promotion of his drawings.
"She said ‘I really think if we put this out there, people will see it’s unique,’" Mr. Tarpinian said.
At first, he was a little nervous about publicizing the sketches. He just drew them in his spare time.
But, thanks to his wife’s enthusiasm, his art will be on display at the Blue Rooster through the end of April.