Peter & Roger Rocha – Unconventional Mosaic Art

Peter Rocha and his nephew Roger have created amazing mosaics made out of Jelly Belly, jellybeans. It takes them about 6 months to complete one of these masterpieces because they use about 10,000 jellybeans.

Queen Elizabeth II Mosaic

Queen Elizabeth II Mosaic Close up

Peter started his jellybean mosaics because in the early 1980′s he heard President Ronald Reagan loved jellybeans so he decided to make a mosaic portrait of him out of jellybeans. Reagan loved the portrait and it still hangs in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The Jelly Belly Candy Co., which produces the jellybeans Peter always used, has  a large factory in Fairfield that features many of his masterpieces in the factory tours.

Ronald Reagan

To create these great works of art Peter would first paint the image on a piece of wood then would paint over it with varnish and stick each colored jellybean to it. After all the jellybeans were in place he would paint it with another coat of varnish so no insects could eat it.

Elvis

In 2000, sclerosis left Peter unable to continue with his jelly bean art, so he turned it over to his nephew, Roger. Peter died in 2004 at the age of 65 from Lou Gehrig’s disease but his legacy is being carried on by his nephew Roger.

Marilyn Monroe

James Dean

Statue of Liberty

This is an awesome and really unconventional take on mosaic art. Jelly Belly now has a program on their website where you can create a a Jelly Belly mosaic - much like our software, just upload your picture and it will show you your picture made out of jellybeans, but don’t expect it to be as remarkable as Peter and Roger’s!