ARTIST’S PROFILE:  PETER H. BALESTRIERI

After graduating from high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Peter Balestrieri won a scholarship to study art in Florence, Italy, under Italian artist, Pietro Annigoni, who created memorable portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and President John F. Kennedy, among others.  During Peter’s time in Italy, he learned the fine points of oil painting, including preparation of the canvas, importance of perspective in drawing and painting, and compositional elements.  Upon returning to Milwaukee, he was active in the art scene as an artist and a gallery owner.  In mid-life he had the opportunity to take employment in Japan.  While there, he was awarded two modern museum prizes for his oil paintings, and he held many exhibitions in Tokyo of his oils, drawings and watercolors. He decided to retire in Bellaire because of family connections but also because of “painter’s light.”  In the past four years, he has exhibited at the Crooked Tree Art Center, earning prizes in 2006 and 2008, at the Jordan River Art Center, and at the Charlevoix Circle of Arts.  His works can be viewed on line or at his studio, Pacific Rim Studio, in Bellaire, by appointment.