Victor A. Schiro, born 1946, Glendale, California
Victor grew up in the north San Fernando Valley in the l950s-60s. Granada Hills and Northridge were very rural and undeveloped Southern California communities then; beautiful hills of chaparral and oak, farmland with eucalyptus, sycamores and cottonwoods flanking the endless orchards of citrus and avocado. Like most artists, Victor seriously persued painting since childhood, and has always enjoyed exploring the varied landscapes of Southern California, the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Owens Valley. He was classically trained at UCLA, CSUN. It was after earning a B.A. from CSUN with a major in fine arts and a minor in philosophy that he continued his education with more of a focus on modern art in the M.F.A. program at the California Institute of the Arts. He then went on to take the position of head curator of Gemini G.E.L. It was at Gemini were he collaborated with many of today's modern masters; Jasper Johns, David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg and others.
Victor exhibited his modern paintings exclusively in the early years of his career; winning awards in a number of prestigious juried shows for contemporary painting such as the Barnsdall Museum Annual. However, he still continued to do his traditional representational paintings of the landscapes of California never considering them for exhibition.
In time, Schiro became disenchanted with modern art, and began working in television and film as a producer/writer through out the late 1980's and 90's. He brought a painter's sensibility to the filmmaker's art using dramatic locations such as the stark California desert, Southern High Sierras, the primitive Mexican Baja coast and rain forests of Thailand and Burma.
It was not until 1999 that Victor finally decided to begin exhibiting his traditional landscapes paintings by having his watercolors accepted into international exhibitions such as the Salmagundi's American Watercolor Society 137th Exhibition. He continues to exhibit and enter his landscapes in many international and national competitions with considerable success.
Victor has also been commissioned to travel and paint the landscapes of the Engadin Valley, Swiss Alps most recently; as well as other uniquely beautiful places such as the Cojo Ranch, north of Santa Barbara, California.
Recent exhibitions and publications:
2010-
Oil Painters of America 19th Annual National Exhibition
Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona * April 30-May 30, 2010
painting: Owens Valley Cinder Cones - oil / canvas
2010-
Ray Mar Art Contest
January Finalist- painting: Lower Kern River Rapids, oil/canvas
2010-
Fine Arts Views Art Juried competition', January
Fav. 15%, painting: Lower Kern River #2, oil/canvas
2009-
Fine Arts Views Juried competition- Fav. 15%- for the months of:
December- painting, ( Engadin Autumn Snow, oil/canvas)
October- painting, (Perko's Beach, oil/canvas)
September- painting, (Owens Valley, wt.color)
2009-November 3rd, November 13
The American Artists Professional League Inc. 81st Grand National Exhibition @
The Salmagundi Club, NY, NY
Painting: The Lower Kern River, o/c
2009
International Artist Magazine's Annual, 'Seascapes, River and Lakes competition.'
Full page devoted to the painting, Lower Kern River #3 with copy, June / July issue.
2008
California Art Club, Blinn House Exhibition, "Concertos in Color."
Juror's Choice Award-painting: Lower Kern River #1 oil/canvas
2007
One man show Delphine Gallery, Santa Barbara, Ca. Rancho El Cojo paintings
2005
One man show Delphine Gallery, Santa Barbara, Ca. Recent Paintings
2003
Northwest Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition
1999-2000
Salmagundi American Watercolor Society 137th International Exhibition
Louisiana Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition
