The Art & Design of Jack Bellis

14 min readFeb 25, 2021

Try to figure out the word ‘design’; I dare you. My latest thought, inspired by my notion of ‘crossword definitions’ (that any concept can be identified by two words, no more), is ‘form conception… the part of art that can be captured in the mind… more than just the senses.

A loftier option is ‘art science.’ In other words, it’s the ‘science’ part of art… the part that has some methodology or numbers or repeatability to it. Hmmm. Thinking.

Tinkertoy Sofa

1974 (?), Tulip Poplar, fabric, polyurethane foam; 72" x 40" x 36". OK, so a tree fell in our back yard and I had to make a sofa out of it. I recall vividly when my friend Scott said, “You have to make the open ends show the look of the wooden rod sticking out through the other end, right?” So I had to.

“Wringing Truth”

1984(?), acrylic, 16" x 12".

“Doctor McGee”

1978, bronze, 1" x 1/2" x 1/2"

Don’t ask. OK, since you asked. I went to a year of dental school. Seemed like a good idea at the time but gosh, was I too young to do the math. It wasn’t right for me. Anyway, they had these classes called Dental anatomy, where all 150 of the freshman class would be in a big room and you had to carve a likeness of a tooth. I finished with enough time to carve a little sculpture of the professor. First was ‘The Saint,’ Charlie Santangelo. I gave it to my father and it’s now lost. Next was Dr. McGee, histology. Here he is with a microscope in one hand and (you can’t see it) a bottle in his back pocket.

Tennis Player

1978, bronze, 1.5" x 1" x 1".

Likeness of a carpenter co-worker.

Bananamobile

1982, sketch for rubber-band-driven vehicle to demonstrate Franklin Institute’s kids’ competition.

Cupid Pendant

1990 (?), Bronze, gold-plated, 1" x 1.5"

Sketch of Homer

1980?

Chess Set

1985-present, bronze, ruby, sappire, gold, maple, unknown hardwood. Later in pewter and steel.

The best piece, the charging knight:

The original set has real crown jewels, meaning solid gold kings’ scepters and queens’ crowns, with rubies and sapphires:

And each team has a dog:

Self-Portrait in Silver

1986 (?), silver, 1.5" x 1/2" x 1/2"

Sculpture of Pete Rose

1985, Drystone, 22" x 18" x 14". Sheesh, maybe my best work had to be of a guy who tried as hard as he could to alienate everyone. There was also one of Philadelphia Flyer, Bobby Clarke and Philadelphia 76-er Julius Erving.

Painting, unnamed

1995 (?), oil on canvas, 10" x 8". Not bad for an interesting little piece.

“Lite the Lamp” Electronic Hockey Shooting Game

1997, Macromedia Flash programming. I was so excited when I realized I’d have to use highschool trigonometry to figure out a line of code and then had my bubble burst when I realized it was simple arithmetic. Was a usable Windows executable (EXE) file for a while but would probably need an old emulator now.

“Simax” Video Sign Software

1985–1990 (?), first for Atari 800 computers in Atari Basic and machine language, then for Commodore 64 in Assembler 6502. OMG, the memories. One of my favorite stories, my genius friend Scott took a klunky, slow section of my assembler code, 200 lines or so, and reduced it to 19 lines that ran blazing fast. I never got to take the time to figure out his magic and now he’s gone.

Ab Bike

1987(?)-present (2021), steel, aluminum, etc.

It started as a way to use all four limbs for energy instead of just two. Then it morphed into an exercise purpose, working the entire frontal plane of the body instead of just the upper legs. Like healthy animals do:

So I have to change horizontal force to rotational. I’m on approximately my 10th attempt. Stay tuned. (“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” — Napoleon Hill)

An earlier transmission attempt:

Glass and Oak Side Table

1995, oak, glass

The Limits of Endurance

1995 (“), Hydrocal stone, bas-relief sculpture, 36" x 6"

Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914
Man’s Greatest Story of Survival and Rescue

Stone, bas-relief sculpture, 36" x 6" of the Shackleton expedition and rescue

Stained Glass

2001, glass, copper, solder. 8904 address.

“Figures of Speech”

2002 (?), expanding foam, 46" x 36" x 12"

Musicians

2003 (?), cast stone, 20" x 10" x 10"

Repetitive Strain Book

2001, eleven conventional printings totaling 14,000 copies printed and sold, with more on-demand, followed in 2024 by ebook only.

“Charging Knight”

2003, Drystone, aluminum (reins), polyurethane (lance) from the chess set.

Trashcan Strain Relief

2003 (?), nylon, plastic, steel. Still holding strong after 22 years!

Live Edge Wall Shelves

2005, unknown hardwood

Spice Rack

2004, pine

Tangram Shelf-Top

2007, 40" x 20", tile

Kids’ Book

2007

Refugees

2012-present (unfinished), 32"x 24", oil on canvas. Some day, I’ll capture that newspaper photo’s drama.

“Into the Wild”

2013, in3 sizes (24" x 16"), oil on canvas. From the final scene of the movie of the same name.

Pot Rack

2006, steel, wood, glass, 64" x 16" x 24"

“Chef’s Hat”, iPhone App

2009 (?) my first fully native code (Objective-C & Apple’s Cocoa enviroment) iPhone app. Provides randomized connections between complementary recipe ingredients to inspire fancy cuisine creations. I’m really proud of how it came out but it needs to be re-created using the content from the book Culinary Artistry. Some day.

“Back to 2 Billion,” T-Shirts

2008 (?), the only solution, that is unless of course we wait for Mother Nature to solve it for us. You saw what she did in a recent “warning shot across the bow,” with Covid, right?

“Dogtalk,” iPad App for Dogs

2011 (?), iPad program for dogs to annunciate their wishes. Only one user test ever, a German Shepherd who was unimpressed. But like a lot of my stuff, things like this showed up in the newspaper 10 or 15 years later.

Meeting Coasters

2013, pulpboard, 4" x 4", drink coasters for meeting rooms to train people on meeting etiquette and facilitate the correcting of brutish behavior.

“They Went That-a-way”

2010–2020, wood, epoxy, 84" x 24" x 24"

Reincarnated after its first 15 years outside… after noticing it’s a pretty decent work of art, my favorite in fact since it’s so physical and symbolic and down-to-earth. Repainted and epoxy-coated to last forever, but still fades and fogs every few years. Might have to give some more thought to more durable finishing, maybe solid materials???

Ambient Energy Capture

2005 (?), metal and various, 36" x 18" x 10".

Nothing here but the image below. Years ago I got the idiotic idea that the nighttime-to-day temperature change could generate energy. So I made this thing that converts the expansion of a plastic jug (with a bit of gasoline in it) into rotation of a flywheel. I posted a question on a website, like Ask-a-Physicist or something, about how much energy the world might have from this. I was laughed off the stage… my post was deleted as frivolous actually. Then a couple of years later, these guys at MIT had the same idea and maybe it wasn’t so dumb after all.

Gate Latch

Tree Surgeon

2010-present, still trying to make a tool to dismantle trees from the ground.

Welcome Sign

2012–2024, 16" x 12" x 2", stone and various wood bases.

Here’s the first version, a one-sided plaque. I think this was a non-durable rendering in water-soluble clay:

Oooh,. look at this interim design with big boulders:

Then, when I started making a few things out of durable stone, called Cement All, I made it a two-sided sculpture. This side is an homage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water:

Compact Instructions for Fireplace Insert Operation

2016, plastic-laminated paper

Wissahickon Skating Club Commemorative Bench

2019, Maple(?), 40" x 12" x 18"

Rustic bench using a 63-year-old piece of wooden bleachers from Wissahickon Skating Club.

Study in Avocado

2019, oil on canvas, 32" canvases, mahogany frames.

Sold at neighborhood garage sale for $5 each. And I think there was one of the East Wing of the National Gallery. Kira has the 5th.

The scene that inspired the first artwork in the series, a doorway in a motel in Florida:

On the Boardwalk

2019 (?), oil on canvas, 36" x 30", after identical composition by Lauren Guarnieri.

Battle of the Fake Miros

2019 (?), oil on canvas

I painted the fake on the right from the fake on the left. What do you think is the right way to sign an acknowledged duplicate of another artist’s work? I think every piece should be signed, so one must sign it. I like having the ‘real’ artist’s name first but in parentheses, then your name: “(Miro) Bellis.” Yes, seriously.

Billiard Cue Stick Hanger

2021, Brazilian mahogany, 24" x 4" x 3/4"

I’ve got a small space for the table so I need all these different length cues. This rack hangs over the middle of the table.

Fireplace Tools

2021, mesquite, wrought iron, copper

The grabber tool was bought. The poker was hand made from a railing that was disassembled at our home. The dustpan was from a copper tray or bowl from a thrift store. The mesquite was from Walmart, sold for smoking food.

Gate Latch

2021, polypropylene, wood, chromed plastic, metal, polyethylene, nylon, rubber

I didn’t make the bolt mechanism, but the contraption that lets you simply pull to open the bolt, and thereby the gate.

Utensil Holder

2018, medium density fiberboard (MDF)

I’ve been working on this problem for years now. Tubes, clay, maybe some other media. I think I’m getting close.

Train on Bridge

2018 (?), 36" x 24", oil on canvas, recycled.

Folding Barbecue/Work Table

2019, steel, plastic, wood

Photomicrograph Paintings

2000, acrylic on canvas

“Bench Arm” Side Table

2021, cast iron found art, steel, spalted maple

“Bench Arm” Garden Table, maple top, cast iron base

“Cobbler’s Stand” Side Table

2021, cast iron found art, steel, spalted maple

“Double-Wheel Hoe” Side Table

2021, cast iron found art, steel, spalted maple

“Roofing Crimper” Side Table

2021, cast iron found art, steel, spalted maple

Vintage O W Burritt Standing Seam Metal Roofing Crimping Tool.

Remington Typewriter Side Table

2021, found art, steel, spalted maple

Sewing Machine Side Table

2021, found art, steel, spalted maple

Trellis Bracket

2018, welded steel.

Sustainable Commercial Rail Transportation

2020 (?), an idea

“Brooklyn Bridge” Plant Stand

2020, oak, maple, 60" x 20" x 12", maple and oak, for Kira’s apartment

Second version, ash, 60" x 30" x 18" for our plants

Shed

2020, various wood and plastic

Garden Plant Stand of Antiques

2024, found objects, steel, and cedar

“Spalted Maple, Soft Parts Removed”

2021, spalted maple, 52" x 24" x 20".

Photograph of Charleston, South Carolina Church

2021, electronic

Mid-Century Modern Reproduction Table

2022, After Nakashima, ash and oak, 30" x 24" x 20"

Two made.

“Gardeners’ Stone”

2023, cast Cement All, 24" x 16" x 2"

Depicts the local growing climate and circumstances of the Delaware Valley, USA.

Version 2, smaller and less fanatical:

Garden Tool Rack

2024, steel and fiberglass, 48" x 24" x 24"

Has some production potential but must be made modular (additive).

“Wheelpan” Ultralight Rolling Garden Dustpan

2022, steel, plastic, 48" x 30" x 30"

considered by American Lawnmower Company for production.

Watering Reminder

2024, stone and other media.

“Honey, when did you water the plants in the den?”

Version 2… hand-sculpted art, in Cement All stone. Only three were cast, to fulfill promises made to those at the Foliage plant store for purchases made at a First Friday event. They have the sun and rain and plants around the top.

Version 3… 3-D Printed art, cast in Cement All stone. Again, only three, intended to be the final, ‘nicer’ version for the three First Friday customers. Looking back at the Version 2 castings, I like those more since they’re so expressive.