ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An upcoming gallery show will feature powerful paintings of warriors and goddesses rooted in Afro-Caribbean and Latino traditions.
They will share space with striking stone sculptures — each hand-carved from marble, granite, and limestone into timeless works of art.
Local artist Rigo Peralta will join forces with Pocono sculptor Art Wells for Elegance in Stone, an exhibition opening at Peralta’s studio, 1601 West Chew St.
The show will kick off with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. today, Saturday, Sept. 20, and run through Oct. 24.Rigo Peralta studio
The show will kick off with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. today, Saturday, Sept. 20, and run through Oct. 24. A closing reception will be held that evening at 6 p.m.
Parking is available at 402 North Fulton St.
Peralta and Wells said they met through mutual creative connections in the local art scene.
"I think Art's work is amazing and very skillful," Peralta said. "When I went to his studio, I was blown away by his work."
'Stone has energy'
In total, Wells will present 17 distinct and entirely handmade pieces.
“Everything I do is one-of-a-kind,” Wells said. “I don’t have a factory. I don’t have workers. It’s all by my hands."
The work could be divided into two lines.
One leans toward high-end interior design — sleek objects made for luxury spaces.
“Like a painting, it can transform a space. And these are meant to last lifetimes. They’ll be here in 500 years, for generations to come."Arts Wells, sculptor
Wells, who used to live in Dallas, Texas, had worked with a design firm that specialized in that decor.
The other is more traditional: figurative, highly realistic pieces that showcase the classical side of stone carving.
“Stone has energy,” Wells said. “Like a painting, it can transform a space. And these are meant to last lifetimes. They’ll be here in 500 years, for generations to come."
Wells gets most of his materials from a distributor in Kansas — limestone, marble and granite that is sourced from across the country.
One piece in the show incorporates Colorado Yule marble, the same material used in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Other matching pieces: luminous Carrara marble imported from Italy, layered with a bold experiment: epoxy resin swirled with metallic blue pigments.
“It’s something no one else in the stone carving community is really doing,” Wells said. “As sculptors in this medium, we’re a pretty close group, and as far as I know, I’m the only one combining resin this way.
"It’s an experiment, but one that collectors are already responding to.”
'Mix the mystical with reality'
Of Peralta's work, Wells is equally enthusiastic.
"When I first saw Rigo's paintings, I thought, 'It's off the charts,'" Wells said. "I get goosebumps when I look at it."
Peralta's colorful pieces, both large and small, capture the essence of women: They are often depicted as powerful, goddess-like figures.
He points to his family and childhood in the Dominican Republic.
“I grew up with my grandma and my mother,” he said.
His grandmother, known in his hometown as Doña Negra (an acrylic on linen portrait of Doña can be found in Allentown Art Museum), was a mentor to many, and his mother helped shape his outlook on life, he said.
Many of his subjects reflect the history and myths of Afro-Caribbean and Latino culture.
“What I try to portray through my work is the African influence in the Latino community, the diversity of the Caribbean,” he said. “I mix the mystical with the reality we live in today.”
He said that sometimes he paints from life, using local models or acquaintances. Other times the portraits come from his imagination, he said.
“I create the image, then I translate it into my own way of interpreting who she is,” he said.
'Continuous change'
One painting, "Sweet Lola," is a prime example of this approach.
"She might represent a kind of avatar, a spiritual Latina concept,” he said. “It’s not just a portrait. It’s about spirit.”
Another newer piece, titled "Flor de Africa," calls to both geography and memory.
Peralta moved to the States when he was 19 and has lived in the Lehigh Valley for the past two decades.
“It’s about the position we are in now — Latinos, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, anyone who feels divided or judged. It’s not just about politics. It’s about human experience.”Allentown artist Rigo Peralta
He previously owned a studio on Linden Street and has been at the West Chew Street space for five years.
“Art is always in continuous change,” he said. “And we’re always reinventing ourselves.”
One of his latest works, painted on an experimental stock board, embodies this spirit of evolution.
The subject, a naked man, is painted in a defensive pose, seeming caught between spaces; trapped but not defeated.
The figure appears vulnerable, perhaps in a liminal place, somewhere between despair and hope.
“When I created this piece, I wanted it to reflect that feeling many of us know — sometimes feeling trapped in places we can’t get out of, but still holding on to something,” Peralta said.
“It’s about the position we are in now — Latinos, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, anyone who feels divided or judged. It’s not just about politics. It’s about human experience.”
The painting remains untitled, and he said he hopes the piece will spark a conversation.
“When I create, I connect to something that doesn’t even feel from this earth, and I follow that," Peralta said.
"Then, it’s for the viewer to bring their own story. They may see something different than I do — and that’s the beauty.”
