Last Weeks on River Street

"We won't ever fold. I mean the organization is going to be intact forever -- I mean I hope," said Pres. Robin Walker to the Seguin Daily News.

The eviction notice we've been waiting for (and hoping would never come) has arrived, and we must be out of our Gallery at 109 N. River St. on July 1, 2013. Gillian Siemens, Gallery Manager Debbie Zengerle, and other committee members have worked extremely hard for months to find another property, preferably downtown, that we can move to. They have visited every vacant building downtown, followed up on tips about good deals all over, and talked to everybody they could think of. We only paid a token rent plus utilities and our own expenses at the River Street location, so finding anything we have to pay market rates for and can afford is very difficult. Please let the committee know if you have any ideas they haven't already tried.

At the May meeting, members toured a property that the majority present voted to bid on, but it's far from ideal, not downtown, and costs about 4 times as much as we're used to per month. Negotiations and decisions are continuing.

The high school show will be on display during regular Gallery hours through June 28 as promised,and we'll have a huge Moving Sale preceded by a big party very soon; however, everything else is still up in the air.

Look for information soon about a grand party to kick off our Moving Sale. If you have art in the Gallery or Gift Shop, please consider an acceptable sale price and let Debbie Zengerle or a docent know. If you can help with the party in any way (music, food, manpower, ideas), please contact Alicia Helton. Watch your emails, listen for the phone, watch for ads in the papers, and be ready to leap into action when we set a party date, begin the sale, and plan when, how, and where we're moving to.

High School Show Packed with Winning Work

First Place: Rachel Henkes of La Vernia High with "A Slice of Life"

The 4th Annual High School Art Show opened May 3 with 96 entries from grades 9-12 at Seguin, Navarro, La Vernia, Floresville, and Marion high schools, a Seguin home school, and Lifegate Christian School.

Rachel Henkes, a 10th grader at La Vernia High School, won First Place and $100 cash prize with her mixed media depiction of “A Slice of Life.”

Second Place went to Marion 10th grader Jenna Line’s photograph “Bird’s Eye View,” and La Vernia senior Valerie Moehrig won Third Place for her acrylic painting “Headlines.”

Three seniors from Seguin High won Honorable Mention awards: Joseph Cabellero for his colored pencil drawing “What to Imagine,” Maria Leon for her pencil drawing “Goatman,” and Debra Rhodes for her clay and acrylic “Two-Faced.”

Honorable Mentions from La Vernia High include Allison Freeman, 12th grade, for her graphite and Prismacolor drawing “The Art of Living;” Kaylyn Stork, 10th grade, for her Prismacolor “Friendly Gatherings;” Kristen Gastauer, 11th grade, for her pen and ink drawing “Pig Pen;” and Brianna Kruciak, 12th grade, for her Prismacolor and paint “Switch Up.”

Honorable Mention awards also went to Marion High School’s 10th grader Sean Riedel for his photograph of “The Weathered Barn” and 11th grader Brittany Holden for her digital photograph of “Ol’ Blue Eyes;” and to Lifegate 11th grader Karissa Tracy for her acrylic “Tweet.”

The show runs through June 28. For photos from the reception, click here, click 4th Annual High School Art Show under Recent Activity, then click Slideshow.

Members-Only Show S.O.A.L. Gift to Seguin

The call for entries to our annual "Our Best to You" show has gone out, and entry forms and detailed instructions are available here. Entry fees are waived for this show, and entry forms must be turned in by Wednesday, June 19.

This is the show for members only, and it has two main purposes:

1. To provide every member a chance to display one or two pieces in the Gallery without having to work as a docent, and


2. To encourage the public to purchase our art for their homes and offices.

The show is open to all members 18 and older who have paid dues for 2013. Each member can enter up to two pieces of artwork completed within the last three years. Make sure your work is ready for display, and deliver it to the Gallery, 109 N. River St., between 10 AM and 12 noon Saturday, June 29.

The opening reception will be held Thursday, July 11, from 5 to 7 PM. One grand prize of $100 will be awarded to the work winning the most votes from guests attending the reception. In addition, guests may purchase raffle tickets for $2 each or three for $5 for a chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates or one $100 gift certificate to be spent on art in the show.

All art must be for sale, and S.O.A.L. will take a 25% sales commission from each sale. Insurance is the responsibility of the artist.

All S.O.A.L. members are urged to invite family, friends, and business acquaintances -- anyone who may be persuaded to purchase a piece of original artwork for their workplaces and for their own personal enjoyment.

Call for Entries to High School Show

Artists in grades 9 through 12 are invited to enter up to two pieces of art in the 4th Annual High School Art Show hosted by the Seguin Oakwood Art League. The art may be in any media, and two-dimensional pieces must be ready to hang. Artwork must be delivered to the Gallery on Wednesday, May 1, between 4 and 6 PM.

Click here for all the details and an entry form you can print and mail to P. O. Box 445, Seguin 78155 or drop by the Gallery, 109 N. River St.

The Opening Reception will be held Friday, May 3, from 5 to 7 PM. The following awards will be presented when the artist or a parent is present: $100 First Place, $75 Second Place, $50 Third Place, and $20 Honorable Mention. Artists are urged to attend and invite their families, friends, and teachers. The show will run through Friday, June 28, when artists must pick up their work between 4 and 6 PM.

The work above represents entries and winners from the 2012 show. Click here and then select Pictures and Videos and 3rd Annual High School Art Show for a look at more photos from last year's reception and of the student entries.

Davenport People's First Choice

March is Watercolor Month at the Gallery, and member Carrie Davenport’s watercolor "Reflections on a Cold Day" was chosen First Place by guests at the opening reception held Thursday, March 7. Member Prudy Kinsel of La Vernia took the People’s Choice Second Place, and S.O.A.L. President Robin Roberts-Walker won the People’s Choice Third Place.

In a drawing for all artists in the show, Prudy Kinsel and Vera Smith each won a $50 gift certificate good in any purchase from the Gallery or Gift Shop. Click here and then select Pictures & Videos, March is Watercolor Month Show,and Slideshow for a look at more photos.

The March is Watercolor Month Show will run in the Gallery through April 30, followed by the 2013 High School Show.

Call for Entries Goes Out for Watercolor Show

Entry delivery for the 2013 "March is Watercolor Month" show is Friday, March 1, between 4 and 6 PM. This show is open to all artists 18 years and older with artwork in a water medium, framed with a wire on the back for hanging, no larger in any direction than 48 inches.

The watercolor shown at left is by founding member Helen Stein from a past watercolor show.

The opening reception will be Thursday, March 7, from 5 to 7 PM. First Place ($100), Second Place ($75), and Third Place ($50) winners will be selected by everyone who attends the reception, and two additional artists will be selected in a drawing for $50 Participation Awards. The public is invited, as always, and refreshments will be served.

The entry fee for members is $10 per piece and for non-members is $15 per piece. All art must be delivered to the Gallery, 109 N. River St. in Seguin, on March 1 and picked up between 4 and 6 PM on Tuesday, April 30. Insurance coverage is the responsibility of the artist, and the artwork entered will be handled with all possible care. All artwork must be for sale, and the Gallery takes a 25% commission on all artwork sold.

Entering artists must submit a completed entry form. Click here to open and print an entry form to mail or take to the Gallery with your entry fee. You can also pick up entry forms at the Gallery. If you have questions, please see the entry form and call Roger at 830.372.4479.

Kids Art Show Runs Through Feb.28

The 5th Annual Elementary and Middle School Art Show opened recently with drawings, paintings, and multi-media sculptures from grades 1 through 8 in area schools.

Marion Middle School had the most entries with 18. Seguin schools had a total of 14 entries with Koennecke and Vogel Elementaries sending the most at four entries each. Two entries came from La Vernia Intermediate School, and Navarro Junior High sent one. Six home-schooled artists from Seguin, La Vernia, and Stockdale also entered the show.

Ribbons and cash prizes were awarded to 17 of the 41 entries. All three place winners in the Middle School division went to students from Marion Middle School: Molly Chambers, 8th grade, First Place for her Butterfly Color Wheel sculpture; Niah Avila, 7th grade, Second Place for a marker drawing “Candy Land;” and Skylar Shaw, 8th grade, Third Place for a pencil drawing “The Missing Colors.”

Awesome middle school winners include Kelsey Castaneda, Marion 8th grader for “Sweet Dreams;” Laura Oelke, Marion 7th grader for “Thunder Oak;” K. B. Hallmark V, 7th grader from Seguin’s A. J. Briesemeister Middle School for his photo “The Weird Eye;” and Kaela Steinbrenner, 8th grade, home school in Seguin, for her photo “A Look Through the Woods.”

In the Elementary division, two artists won Achievement Awards for two works each: Bryan Valadez, 5th grader from Koennecke Elementary for his ceramic “Leaf Tile” and his mixed media drawing “Norbert the Dragon” and Braxton Behrendt, Seguin home-schooled 4th grader for “Color Fall” and “Main Street.”

Other elementary winners include Vogel Elementary 2nd grader Logan R. Busskohl for his marker drawing “Cat R. Pillar;” LaVernia Intermediate School 3rd grader Tessa Pruski for her watercolor and pencil drawing “My Mother;” brother and sister from Weinert, 2nd grader Alexander Ablin for his photo “Christmas Lights” and 4th grader Daniela Ablin for her color pencil drawing “Great Barrier;” and home-schooled brothers George Seals-Ramos, 5th grade, and Jayden Seals-Ramos, 4th grade, for their metal sculptures of Junk-bot and Lab Rat.

Click here to see photos of the award presentations and most of the winners with their work. The public is invited to see the show through Thursday, Feb. 28. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.