Eric Beltz lives in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley in Buellton, CA. He teaches the lost art of drawing at UC Santa Barbara.

Beltz’s meticulously-crafted, time-encompassing graphite on Bristol drawings explore vast spaces and an eclectic mix of content. Inspired by Colonial American myths, cross-stitch sampler patterns, apocryphal gospels, psychedelic culture, ethnobotany, poetry, astronomy, and other interests, Beltz carefully constructs images meant to carry the viewer away within an experiential moment while still be able to sort through free-floating narratives; creating the condition so that the viewer can feel as well as read the drawings. Beltz says of his work: “I don’t want my small drawings to look small, I want the viewer to feel immense”. Endlessly challenged by the limits of graphite on paper, Beltz seeks to transcend the historical biases against the drawing through subtlety and profundity, a dedication to technique, and a faith in the infinite potential of a humble medium.

He has shown extensively across the country in both solo and group shows. His work has been featured in the LA Times, NY Times, Juxtapoz Magazine, Flaunt, Drawing magazine, and others. His work is in the collections of the Nerman Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Art, Design, and Architecture Museum, and many prominent private collections.