Page 4 - IEA/SAALM Wax & Wildflowers Exhibit Catalog

I have had the pleasure of serving on the Board for International Encaustic Artists for the last three
years and always dreamed of a collaboration with that wonderful organization and the San Antonio
Art League. Last year while we were discussing venues for the 2023 Juried IEA Exhibition, a
“eureka’ seed germinated – it was a wildflower seed!
In the 1920’s there was a call put out from the San Antonio Art League to artists all over the world
to paint Texas wildflowers. The event was called The Edgar B. Davis Wildflower Competition and
was funded by a wealthy oilman who loved bluebonnets. It was a famous competition that has
been written about in many art books. The first prize was $5000, which was unheard of at that
time.
I thought, what if we revived the Wildflower theme for the IEA Juried show and brought it to San
Antonio? Wax and Wildflowers? Encaustic artists could interpret it any way they wanted for the
juror - as a call for sustainable plantings, as a metaphor for back-to-nature, as a straightforward
flower interpretation, as eco-prints with encaustic – the ideas are limitless.
Fortunately for all of us, both the Art League Board and the IEA Board thought this was a win-win.
Wax and Wildflowers is the result, the first all-encaustic exhibit in this area. It is both a delight for
the eye and an educational experience about how contemporary artists are using the fascinating
medium of wax.
My profound thanks on behalf of the Art League to my friends in International Encaustic Artists for
the cooperation and inspiration, to our distinguished jurors, Bill and Linda Reaves, and to all the
artists who shared their wild and wonderful work with us.

Ln Belisle Kurtin, President,

San Antonio Art League & Museum

SAALM Exhibition Committee:

Lyn Belisle (Chair)

Michelle Belto

Nancy Gerfers
Claudia Langford

Stefani Job Spears

Mary Beth Swofford
Patsy Sasek

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