Janet Eager Krueger can testify to the truth of the saying “art imitates life.” Her paintings and drawings chronicle the daily lives of South Texans in an original style that is distinctive and believable. Whether she is painting a workday on the family ranch, a family holiday gathering or a festive community event, her down-to-earth artistic style is rooted in reality. It is also a calling that began as a dream.

Raised in the busy bustle of San Antonio, Krueger always longed for rural life. “In that respect,” she says, “I was the family oddball. I was the only one who was crazy about horses and the outdoors. In college I even worked for a large-animal veterinarian.” As fate would have it, her future husband had the same crazy notions. She recalls, “By the time we met, he had walked away from his 9-5 life as a Houston accountant and was learning the ropes of the commercial cattle business on his family’s ranch in Encinal.” Then she adds nostalgically, “Marrying a rancher was my childhood dream come true.”

As a new bride, Krueger joined him on the ranch, and as her passion for life there grew, so did her drive to record it through drawing and painting. No stranger to an easel, Krueger had painted regularly while growing up and obtained her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Texas. Now, her dual interests—art and ranching—intersected on canvas. Krueger’s passion as a narrative artist was born.

As such, she captures the rough and tumble culture of South Texas. Dusty cowboys herding cattle, pickup trucks rattling over rut-filled roads, hunters cleaning their kill—Krueger is never averse to documenting the earthy realities of ranch life. “The simple life is not that simple,” she states emphatically. “Ranch work is rugged, hot and dry. It comes complete with cactus, biting bugs and snakes. Physically, it is difficult. But for me, that’s all part of its allure. Every day is a new adventure.” Polishing the rough edges, she also paints and draws the quieter moments of friendship, family and community sharing.

In preparing for each new story on canvas, Krueger gives a great deal of thought to those elements of content and characterization that will bring authenticity to a scene. Though most who see her artwork have never lived her lifestyle, the little details she includes frequently evoke a shared sense of life’s experiences. While absorbing her work, the viewer’s own memories are stirred.  

The painting Picnic, for example, depicts this common family ritual of summertime. In it, relatives most of us know are in their places around the table: the kiddies in their flip-flops and cowboy boots, the eagle-eyed mom tending to their needs, the long-lost relative who arrives “better late than never.” And what picnic would be complete without the relentless Kamikaze grandma who swoops in with her pocket camera, determined to capture every Kodak moment? The underlying truth in the artwork is universally understood. Other things in life may come and go, but family endures.

Occasionally, for a change of pace, Krueger will break away from her narrative style to create abstract landscapes. She explains, “Working back and forth between the two styles and subjects allows me to enjoy a different pace, with different colors and textures, and to unblock myself, if I’ve come to an artistic impasse.”

Never a slacker, in recent years, Krueger found time to teach as a professor at the A&M International University in Laredo, and to complete her Master of Fine Arts degree in painting at the University of Texas in San Antonio. In the meantime, her convincing canvases have caught the attention of the business world and hang in the collections of prominent South Texas corporations. The AT&T Center in San Antonio commissioned a series focusing on ranching and rodeo; she also created a series of drawings for USAA Insurance called The Military Family. Most recently, the Valero Energy Corporation enlisted her talent for their series on volunteerism and community giving. In addition, Krueger’s work has been featured in exhibitions across Texas, including the Heart of the West Exhibit at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. She has received numerous awards, including the prestigious honor of being named Texas State Artist in 2008.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, life goes on. “Every day, I’m out there in the thick of it,” Krueger says. “I can’t hop over a fence as fast as I used to, but I still know what it means to work hard physically, and I still enjoy it. Living this lifestyle in the 21st century is a rare thing, really, a blessing. I feel compelled to record it through my art and share it with others. For me, it has been a dream fulfilled.”

Janet Eager Krueger’s art can be seen at www.janetkrueger.com and:

Carrington Gallery, Ltd.
101 Claiborne Way
San Antonio, Texas 78209
210-826-1362

Hunt Gallery
4225 McCullough
San Antonio, Texas 78218
210-822-6527
www.huntgallery.net