IN Fox Chapel Area Fall 2016 | Page 39

But his passion was always as an artist. In 1987, he was accepted into PWS and later served as its president. More recently he was accepted into Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. “When I was a student in undergraduate school studying art, I found a passion for watercolor the first time I held a brush—I was possessed by the medium,” he says. “When I produce art, I become a type of mystic person, yet I am an ordinary person and love my ordinary life.” His wife, Vincenne Revilla Beltran, a Professor of Education at Point Park University, appreciates her husband’s dedication to his craft. “He is always creating something new and exploring new techniques to express his ideas and philosophies,” she says. “Whether he is working in his studio or in our garden, Victor constantly creates new images with ideas that seem never-ending. Years ago, he painted several original oil paintings while standing on a scaffold above the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh during a concert, to my amazement.” “Everywhere I go, everywhere I am, there are subjects in the world. A flower, a forest, a Beltran's painting, “Block the Storm,” won first prize at the juried competition of the 70th Anniversary of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Beltran spent 21 years in the design department of L.D. Astorino, and worked on major projects including Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and PNC Park. cityscape, people...they all impact my work,” says Beltran. “This is hard to explain because I live in the moment, and each moment is new and an opportunity for art. It has been a long journey to become the artist that I am now. For example, I have 42 pounds of sketchbooks, all full of sketchings and art from my daily life and travels. I show these sketchbooks periodically when I teach. My latest sketchbook is full of watercolors based on the rooms, corners, outdoors and indoors of Phipps Conservatory.” Beltran will be conducting workshops and teaching classes for a variety of organizations, including Phipps Conservatory this winter. He is currently working on the Chatham University watercolor collection and also accepts other commissions for a wide variety of residential home portraits, which combines his skills as an artist and architect. The Beltrans’ exquisite Zen home garden, recently featured on the Shaler Great Gardens Tour, is another project dear to the artist’s heart. “Parallel to my love of art is my passion for gardening,” says Beltran. “It took us 13 years to build our Zen garden, which includes curved stone walls and stairways, terraces, decks, patios, an Enzo walking meditation path and two waterfalls. These two passions, art and garden, combine to form the basis for a lot of my creative endeavors.” Beltran has some words of wisdom to those who would like to become professional artists. “First, you need to have passion for whatever you want to achieve,” he says. “Second, you need to have patience because it takes years to develop your skills. Third, observe professional artists and their work, read about them and study their art. Fourth, accept critiques and advice from teachers, buy books, experiment, make mistakes and learn from them.” Even with all of the accolades, Beltran’s focus is to continue to grow as an artist. Says Revilla Beltran, “He is tireless in his love of new adventures when it comes to art. To us, he is a husband, father and grandfather, and he makes our lives exciting!” “We were born into this world to see it and to listen to it,” says Beltran. “Since that’s the case, we don’t have to be someone. We have, each of us has, meaning to our life.”  ■ » For more information, contact Victor Beltran at [email protected], or visit his Facebook page at facebook.com/VictorBeltranArt. Fox Chapel Area | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 37