Barista takes delight in personal artwork he calls “cups of Joe”

If by chance you ever have to wait in line at the Starbucks coffeehouse located in the Nob Hill Shopping Center in Martinez, you may be treated to an art show -- although you may not even know it. In front of the latte machine, behind the glass partition, the ledge is lined with decorated coffee cups.

The art is so detailed that it seems to jump off the cup. There are specific designs; they represent flowers, animals, cars, hobbies, favorite sports teams, family members, special destinations -- just about anything you can imagine. They are as individual as the customers.

Barista Joe Cinelli, a life-long Martinez native and Alhambra graduate, has worked at the store for over two-years. One of his passions is drawing. Cinelli is so masterful at his craft that manager Alex Wright entrusts him do all of the special signage “art boards” for the store listing items such as the daily offerings and product specials.

A while back, Cinelli started to doodle on a cup in the early morning hours when he opened the store. It wasn’t anything serious, he was just passing time. The lines were soon filled-in with color. Then he started to etch different designs to add “personality,” looking for variety in his works. He would keep them close to his work station and casually show some customers who appeared to be interested and appreciated the craft.

Then interest spilled-over to his workmates. He designed art cups for each of his colleagues. In all, about 20 cups which were then displayed for the public to see. From there, the whole thing snowballed.

One week before a high-level corporate visit by regional management, the district manager, Trish Brown, paid a visit. She was overwhelmed by what she saw and loved the concept. She had to have one herself and commissioned Cinelli to draw one for the Aids Life Cycle event. Brown even hinted that Cinelli’s art may be produced in mass quantity in the future and featured on cups in stores.

Until that time, Cinelli was doing artwork for no charge. He then had an idea and felt he could utilize his art for a worthwhile cause. So, he began a campaign to put his efforts to work for a charity and offered custom work. The charity was the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the leader of the breast cancer movement. Cinelli’s “program” collected over $300.00 and Starbucks then matched the amount.

The most challenging piece of work was a multi-cup marriage theme for a recently engaged co-worker. It included bride, groom, redwood trees, flowers, monks, industrial workers in action and Wikipedia. That one took him four hours to complete.

Cinelli’s favorite project was a simple dolphin design. That was for a four-year-old girl named Alani. Her father had made the request to Joe. When she received the cup, Alani did not let it out of her hands for an entire weekend.

What’s next for Cinelli? Well, he would like to put his drawing skills to use in advertising design. He would like to work for an agency in their graphic design area.

As meticulous as Cinelli is with his lines, he is equal to the task of documenting his work. The cups are available for view on his Facebook page. To get there, search in pages for “cups of Joe.” Every one of his pieces is showcased.