Portrait of the Artist

Peter Bellonci was born in 1935 in Brooklyn NY to a southern Italian mother and a northern Italian father. The flow of the northern Italian combined with the “rapid fire” southern Italian shows itself in the fluidity of his sculptures, even as the process involves the banging of hammer against chisel.
Peter is a self-taught artist who started drawing as a child. Over the years he has experimented with different media including pen and ink, oil, acrylic and watercolor paints, and clay. In 1992 he discovered his passion for stone; the opportunities it provides have kept him happily engaged in stone sculpting ever since.
Not only does stone sculpting connect Peter to his Italian heritage, it presents a tremendous opportunity for deep contemplation. Because Peter works only with hand tools – hammer and chisel, rasps, rifflers and sandpaper – he feels himself caressing time and evolution as the crusty outer layer of each stone breaks away.
Peter came to Texas in 1979 to marry the love of his life, and now devotes his time to his sculpting, to cooking – another Italian passion! – to yoga and to reading.
When asked what the most challenging aspect of his work is Peter says,
“Getting started is probably the most difficult part of the whole process. It involves examining the stone for its various characteristics and imagining the endless possibilities that exist within its naked form. Once the first cut is made those possibilities are forever altered, and they continue to change with each cut. In time a new form emerges with its own unique character, and from there a direction is clearly defined.”

All of Peter’s work is made so that it can easily be seen from different angles. With a simple push of a finger each sculpture rotates on its turning pin.

For more Information and Slide Shows!

For more information about a sculpture contact me at:
peterb@grandecom.net

To see a slide show of a sculpture in the process of being made, click the link (on the right) under OPUS SLIDESHOWS. Each slide show has pictures of a sculpture from the raw rock through to the finished piece in rotation.

Opus 153 - Utah Alabaster

Opus 153 - Utah Alabaster
18.5" x 13" x 5"
The stone is translucent orange and glows in the sunshine.

Opus 152

Opus 152 - Italian Crystal Alabaster
Starting out at 44 lbs, the stone became Opus 152 in just under a month of working daily with hand tools, including hammer and chisel, rasps and rifflers, sandpaper and polish. Mounted with a turning pin on a black, marble base it is easily rotated with a finger. Beautiful from all sides, check out the rotation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuaW-CxjCso

Opus 151 - New Mexico Alabaster


Opus 151 - New Mexico Alabaster
17" x 11" x 6"
To see a video of this piece in full rotation visit the website www.peterontherocks.net and click on the picture on the Currently Available Sculpture page.

Opus 150!



Translucent Orange Utah Alabaster ... 17" x 9" x 5"
See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lnc61XK8MY

Opus 148 - Italian Crystal Alabaster

Opus 148- Italian Crystal Alabaster
This picture is taken in front of a window to show the translucence. To see it in full rotation you can go to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQTShzF4DAo or to the website www.peterontherocks.net

Opus 147 - Orange Translucent Alabaster from Utah

Opus 147 - The stone is translucent and simply glows in the sunlight! There is a short video of it in the posts on this page or on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_2-r95LT8
It weighs about 28 lbs and measures 14"x 16"x 4" and is mounted on a black, marble base.

Opus 146 - Italian Crystal Alabaster

This sculpture is simply exquisite! It is 19" x 12" x 8 and started out as a 73lb rock. The stone is translucent allowing the viewer a glimpse into the slight variations of color
within. Check out the youtube video of it in rotation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPh37Ekw5Ls or view it, along with more, at the website www.peterontherocks.net
To see the slideshow of the process from rock to sculpture click on the link on the side of this page.

Opus 141.1 Japanese Alabaster


Opus 141 has been re-worked to become what we’re calling Opus 141.1.

The original block of stone had fractures in it that I avoided in an attempt to keep it in one piece - which I did. But, even after it was finished, it kept calling me back to make some changes and I couldn’t resist the call. What I tried to avoid in the original happened in the re-working; the stone broke along the fracture. Opus 141.1 came from that stone. It is filled with crystals that glow when the sun strikes this beautifully translucent stone.

Opus 144 - Canadian Soapstone

Opus 144 measures 16"x 7"x 5" and is mounted on a black marble base. It is a smaller piece than many of the others. To see it in full rotation go to the website (www.peterontherocks.net) and click on its picture on the Currently Available Sculpture page.

Opus 143 - Alabaster

Opus 143
just SOLD!!
The latest sculpture is the first post back surgery sculpture and it's a beauty! 19"x8"x6" and mounted on a wood base Opus 143 is currently at home with us. It can be seen in full rotation at www.peterontherocks.net - just click on the photo on the Currently Available Sculpture page.

Opus 142 Japanese Translucent Alabaster

This piece is currently in Austin City Hall as part of The People's Gallery Exhibition.

Opus 139 - Canadian Green Soapstone

Opus 139 is 21"x 14"x 8" - The stone is mostly light green with some darker veins running through it. It stands on a black, marble base.
Currently at Austin Presence Galleries.

Opus 137 - Japanese Wonderstone

This sculpture stands 14" high x 10"wide and 4" deep. It is mounted on a variegated red marble base. Currently at home with us!

Opus 136 - Canadian Chlorite

This stone started out as a straight edged block ... and look at it now! Check out how it happened by clicking on "From Rock to Sculpture Slide Shows" on the right side of the page - under the heading Opus Slideshows.
Currently at Austin Presence Galleries.


Opus 134 - Canadian Gray Alabaster

Opus 134 - Check out the slideshow of the progression of this piece as it was being sculpted, and in rotation in its finished state, by clicking on "From rock to Sculpture Slideshows" under the heading "Opus Slideshows " (on the right) and there it is!
Currently at Austin Presence Galleries.

Opus 133 -Japanese Pyrophyllite


This piece is SO smooth and beautifully polished! The stone, Japanese Pyrophyllite (aka Wonderstone) comes in many colors; the tones in this piece look like wood.

Opus 132 - Canadian Green Soapstone

Opus 132 - 18" high 12" wide and 9" deep - is a Canadian Green Soapstone. This piece "flew" into being in just 12 days!

Opus 130 - Japanese Translucent Alabaster

Opus 130 is the latest piece just finished this month. It was challenging and rewarding so I am working on another piece of this type of stone for Opus 131!
Currently at Austin Presence Galleries.

Opus 129 - Japanese Pyrophyllite

Japanese Pyrophyllite is also known as "Wonderstone" This piece started out as a 100lb boulder.

Opus 128 - Canadian Green Soapstone

This stone started as an 80lb boulder.
Currently available at our home.

Opus 124 - Japanese Pyrophyllite

currently at home with us!

Opus 122 - Japanese Pyrophyllite

This piece is currently at home with us!

Opus 120 - Canadian Alabaster

This is a smoky black alabaster.
Currently available at our home.

Opus 111 - Japanese Red Pyrophyllite

Pyrophyllite, aka Wonderstone, comes in a wide variety of color ... This is my first red one.
Currently available from home.

Opus 106 - Italian Crystal Alabaster


This sculpture is currently at home with us! It is the last available piece made from Italian Crystal Alabaster.

Opus 96 - Japanese Pyrophyllite

Pyrophyllite is also known as "Wonderstone" No slide show for this one ...

Opus 93 - Canadian Green Soapstone

The green in this piece is deeper than this picture shows ... No slide show for this one ...

Opus 85 - Canadian Black Chlorite

This sculpture has a base sculpted from the same stone. No slide show of this one ...

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Opus 147 is SOLD!

Opus 147 - Orange Translucent Alabaster has sold ... and we're thrilled that it is with people who love it as much as we do!
Posted by at 11:24 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Opus 153


Opus 153 - Orange Translucent Alabaster from Utah. It started out as 49 lbs of rock and in a month became Opus 153. To see a slide show of it from raw rock through to finished piece go here: www.classic.kodakgallery.com/peterontherocks
Posted by at 1:56 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Opus 152 Italian Crystal Alabaster


Opus 152 - Italian Crystal Alabaster
14"x12"x8" This is a light, translucent piece mounted on a black, marble base.
Posted by at 2:56 PM 0 comments
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