City Considers SAL Request for Home

LATEST NEWS: The City of Seguin rejected our proposal immediately. Some officials seem to want to help, but the Matthies House will not be our new home.

In late November SAL Pres. Robin Walker and a delegation of SAL members attended the Seguin City Council meeting and presented a formal proposal: We want a 10-year agreement with the City to use the Matthies House as a community art center.

The house is located on Nolte Street on the southwestern edge of Walnut Springs Park and across from the location of the new public library. It will also be at the southern end of the hike and bike trail to be built from I10 to downtown.

We propose to include classrooms for children and adults, meeting rooms, space for special events both public and private, as well as a gallery and gift shop. The group planning construction of the trail recommend a restaurant or coffee shop, so we may include something like a tea room or sandwich shop, too, which would guarantee the building stays open during business hours without depending solely on volunteer staff.

Watch local news and reports at SAL meetings for further developments, and keep this project in your prayers.

Winner in Fantasy Show

The 2013 SAL Fantasy Show “Literary Inspirations” opened for two weeks with a reception in the Selig Room at the Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC). Howard Crunk, shown left, took home the Salvador Dali Traveling Trophy for winning First Place with his wood sculpture “Sleepy Eyes.”

Other winners included the following:

• Patricia Hanley, Second Place for her acrylic painting “I Think I Saw a Purple Cow.”
• Donna Maske, Third Place for her fiber piece “Woodland.”
• Roger Betschler, Honorable Mention for Raku “Escaped.”
• Donna Maske, Honorable Mention, clay “Tidal Pool.”
• Howard Crunk, Honorable Mention, oil painting “Untitled.”

Watch here to see photos of the reception, winners, and winning artwork taken by member Stephanie Parker.

Literary Inspirations Reception Nov. 7

The 2013 annual Fantasy Show runs Nov. 3 - 15 in the Selig Room at the Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC), 1215 E. Court St. between 10 AM and 5 PM. Shown at left is Katie Salzmann's winning entry in last year's show. As winner, she chose the theme "Literary Inspirations" for this year's show.

The opening reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 7, from 5 to 7 PM. Refreshments will be provided, prizes awarded, and the public is invited. Please come and invite your family and friends.

"How I See It" Award Reception

The photographs shown at left line the entry into “How I See It,” the 2013 photography show hosted by the Seguin Art League and Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC). Winners in each category were presented at the opening reception and include the following:

Category 1. Landscape, seascape, cityscape
First Place: "Joy Ride" by Ralph P. Garcia, San Antonio
H.M.: "Windmill" by GG Mortenson, Seguin
H.M.: "The Window" by Deborah Schroeder, La Vernia

Category 2. Portrait
First Place: "Ute Warrior" by Henry Moore, Seguin
H.M.: "View from Above" by Darryl Patrick, Canyon Lake
H.M.: "The Father’s Hand" by Dan Oliver, Cibolo

Category 3. Macro
First Place: "Where Love Grows" by Sarah Treanor, Seguin
H.M.: "Barnacles" by Donna Maske, Seguin
H.M.: "Hanging on a Thread" by Kimberly Carver-Keedy, San Antonio

Category 4. Floral
First Place: "Blue Hydrangea" by Carol Lyon, Cedar Creek
H.M.: "Wildflower Mix" by Leslie F. Jenke, Seguin
H.M.: "Rhapsody in Blue" by Mike Olson, New Braunfels

Category 5. Critter
First Place: "His Majesty" by Darel Ball, Seguin
H.M.: "My Favorite Nutria" by Stephanie S. Parker, Seguin
H.M.: "Cougar Eyes" by Carol Lyon, Cedar Creek

The show remains on display from 10 AM to 5 PM most weekdays in the Selig Room, GRMC East Campus, 1215 E. Court St., through Oct. 25. Click here and select Slideshow to see photos of the reception and the show.

Call for Entries to Fantasy Show

The theme for this year's show is "Literary Inspirations," a wide category with room for anything we can imagine.

Each artist 18 and older may enter up to three pieces created in 2011 or later.  Click here for all the instructions and an entry form.  Completed forms must be mailed to the Seguin Art League, P. O. Box 445, Seguin 78156 by Oct. 25 with fees of $10 per piece for members and $15 per piece for non-members.

Deliver your artwork to the Selig Room, 1215 E. Court St., on Saturday, Nov. 2, between 10 AM and noon  The opening reception is Thursday, Nov. 7, from 5 to 7 PM.  The public is welcome.  The show runs Nov. 3 through Nov. 15.

Let's Collect Bucks for Bags

Afterword:  We sold and ordered 150 rolls, and we can still sell a few extra rolls ordered just in case.  The order should arrive within the week, and Janelle will bring them to our Sept. 14 meeting if we haven't already picked them up.  (See below.)  John will tell us how much we made, which included some nice donations.  Thank you to everyone who made a sale or two!  And thanks to Janelle who had the idea, set it up, and collected all the orders; to Suzanne who will receive and store our order, and of course, John who will take the money to the bank!

Original post:  Most of us make trash and need bags to put it in.  Seguin Art League members are going to sell four sizes of house and garden bags and make lots of money for a new home.

Order forms are available below, in your email, and at the Selig Room (by the sign-in book).  Or ask Janelle to send you a form by US mail.  We collect orders and money from everybody we can and mail checks and the completed order form to Janelle Hannemann at 1767 Kothmann Dr., Seguin TX 78155 by Aug. 16.

When the bags arrive in early September, we pick them up from Suzanne Drake at the Guadalupe County Fair Office (on the fair grounds south of the Coliseum) and deliver them to the purchasers. 

It's that simple.  For the minimum order of 120 rolls, "minimum we can make is $510," Janelle says, and "Max is whatever we want."  Click here for a brochure, order form, and detailed procedures, and let's get busy!

Calling All Photographers!

The call for entries has gone out to all area photographers for our annual photo show "How I See It."  Photographers 18-years and older can enter up to three photographs taken in 2009 or later.  The maximum outside frame dimensions are 36 by 48 inches, and each piece must be ready to hang, preferably with a wire across the back.

Entries should fit into one of these categories:  Land-/sea-/cityscapes, portraits, extreme closeups, floral, and critters.  Judges will award a $100 First Place and two Honorable Mentions in each category.

Do not put your name on the front of your work so the judges won't know who did what.

The entry fee is $10 per piece for members, $15 per piece for non-members.  Click here for an entry form and detailed instructions.  Entry forms and fees must be mailed to Seguin Art League, P. O. Box 445, Seguin 78156 by Sept. 20, and you must deliver the artwork between 10 AM and noon on Saturday, Sept. 28, to the Selig Room, GRMC, 1215 E. Court St.

The opening reception for artists and the public will be held from 5-7 PM Thursday, Oct. 3.

Forget the Heat: Think Holidays!

It's time once again to reserve your booth at YuleFest, our annual fine arts and handmade crafts sale held the first Sunday in December.  It's on Dec. 1 this year, 10 AM to 4 PM at the Seguin/Guadalupe County Coliseum, 950 S. Austin St.. The sale features only handmade and hand-embellished items in comfort indoors, regardless of the weather outside.

Doors open to vendors at 8 AM for setup, but we'll hold your booth for you until 9 AM.  Coffee and donuts are available free to vendors during setup, and during the sale a full concession stand is open in the lobby.

Click here for an application and all the rules and details.  If you don't need a booth, be sure to add the date to your calendar.  We can volunteer for a shift helping vendors and guests, and it's a great opportunity to finish off our holiday shopping. 

"Our Best to You" Runs through Summer

Congratulations to Dottie Bowden for winning the People's Choice Award for her painting "White Bird" at Thursday's reception! A good crowd filled the Selig Room in the East Campus of GRMC (Guadalupe Regional Medical Center), 1215 E. Court St., to officially open our annual members-only show "Our Best to You."  The show will run weekdays through the end of August. Artists pick up work between 10 AM and noon on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Seguin Art League Keeps On Keeping On

Our new show is "Our Best to You," our annual members-only show when we make a special effort to invite the business and medical community. The Reception for the artists and the public will be Thursday, July 11, from 5 to 7 PM in the Selig Room in the East Campus of the Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC), 1215 E. Court just east of the  main building and behind the Bank of America branch.

Feel free to invite someone at every stop you make on your regular rounds. We want to interest the community in hanging our art in their workplaces. If you have any questions, click here or call Robin at 830.401.0153 or Roger at 830.372.4479 for details about the show.

Classes for Ages 5 Years through Adult

Members Roger Betschler and Patricia J. Lane continue to teach classes in a variety of skills and media at the Gallery. Patricia is currently conducting two sets of four classes each:

• Exploring the Media: Pastels and Oils, kid-friendly classes for 6-year-olds and up from 11 AM-12 noon Wednesdays, adults-only 5-6 PM Fridays. $8 per class plus supplies.
• I Want to Learn More About Fur, Feathers, and Scales, kid-friendly 4-6 PM Fridays, adults-only 10 AM-12 noon Wednesdays. $8 per class, supplies NOT included.

Art Camp begins Monday, June 10, and includes four different courses taught by Roger:

• Clay Animal Sculpture and Tile Painting, June 10-13 or 17-20, 10 AM-12 noon, $35 for four sessions plus $10 for supplies.
• Journey to the Center of the Earth, June 10-12 or 17-19, 1-3 PM, $30 for three sessions plus $5 for supplies.
• Basic Human Proportion, June 13 or June 20, 1-3 PM, $10 for one session plus $5 for supplies.
• My Personal Sketchbook, June 10 or 17, 3-5 PM, $10 for one session plus $10 for supplies.

For details on these and other activities and to register, call Roger, Patricia, or the Gallery at 830-379-7625.

Goodbye, River Street: We're Moving, Not Closing!

"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, paying market rates looks impossible at this moment. Please let the committee know if you inherit an empty building or have any ideas they haven't already tried.

The Gallery will be open and the high school show on display during regular Gallery hours through June 28 as promised, and we'll have a huge party after our June 8 meeting to open the Moving Sale. Please tell your friends!

If you have art in the Gallery or Gift Shop, please consider an acceptable sale price and let Debbie Zengerle or a docent know. You can begin picking up unsold art on Wednesday, June 25. If you can help with the June 8 party in any way (music, food, manpower, ideas), please contact Alicia Helton. Watch for ads in the papers and be ready to leap into action between June 8 and June 30. We'll need lots of help.

High School Show Packed with Winning Work

Breaking News: Art League Moving. Students MUST pick up work on or before Friday, June 28, 4-6 PM!

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” (shown at left).

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 SAL 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 Selig Room, East Entrance, Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC), 1215 E.Court St., between 10 AM and 12 noon Saturday, June 29.

The opening reception will be held Thursday, July 11, from 5 to 7 PM in the Selig Room. 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 SAL will take a 25% sales commission from each sale. Insurance is the responsibility of the artist.

All SAL 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.