Meet a Roadrunner: Janet Eager Krueger ’98 paints unique portraits of Texas culture

Janet Eager Krueger

(Nov. 2, 2016) -- Meet Janet Eager Krueger ’98. She’s an artist who solidified her voice at UTSA.

Hailing from a family of artists, Krueger began pursuing painting at a young age. The San Antonio native vividly recalls growing up visiting the city’s robust museums and being encouraged to pursue her creative passions.

“Art was a large part of my life when I was growing up,” she said. “My mom was a watercolorist, and just in general there was always something artistic going on in our home.”

Krueger earned her undergraduate degree in art history from The University of Texas in Austin in 1975, and shortly afterward moved to her husband’s family ranch near Encinal, Texas. Though she found the rural beauty of the ranch inspiring, Krueger struggled to make a steady income as a painter. As her children began approaching their college years, she pondered pursuing a master’s degree.

Having seen UTSA grow into a top-tier university, Krueger became intrigued by their graduate program in painting and ultimately enrolled in 1996.

“I was very nervous,” she said. “I didn’t know what going back to school as a non-traditional student would be like, and what the expectations would be of me. But once I got there, I loved every minute of it.”

Krueger recollected her own experiences as a college student, and found herself enjoying the diverse student population as well as the engaging coursework.

“I loved reading, writing and of course the production of artwork,” she said. “I had my own little cozy studio all to myself. I enjoyed it immensely, and I even miss it sometimes.”

She also found the faculty inspiring and supportive, and has stayed in touch with many of them as well as her former classmates.

“One of the things I most value from my time at UTSA is that it gave me a network,” she said. “That’s something I didn’t have before. We live five miles from the nearest town, and its population is about 700. So being able to meet other artists and establish relationships has been invaluable.”

Krueger graduated from UTSA in 1998. Her artwork is now in galleries across the nation and in several places in San Antonio, including the Hunt Gallery, the AT&T Center, USAA headquarters, Valero headquarters and, naturally, on the UTSA Main Campus. She recalls fondly UTSA President Ricardo Romo purchasing several of her pieces to be displayed at her alma mater.

“Dr. Romo is to be commended for the art collection at UTSA,” she said. “I’m flattered and honored to be a part of that collection, because there is some amazing work on display on that campus.”

-- Joanna Carver

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