Interview With Lyn Belisle
INTERVIEW with LYN BELISLE, Artist and President of the San Antonio Art League and Museum
By Jasmina Wellinghoff
Tell us how you developed an interest in visual arts?
Like many of my friends, I’ve thought of myself as an artist since I was a very small child. My father was an Air Force officer, and we moved a lot when I was growing up. Art was a way to help me find like-minded friends in new schools and it was a wonderful way to communicate visually. I majored in Studio Art at Trinity and have taught visual arts all my adult life.
What is your preferred medium and why?
I work in a mix of media, often incorporating encaustic wax, earthenware clay, collage, fiber and found materials. I’m drawn to this approach because my ideas don’t arrive fully formed – they emerge through layering and response. Encaustic, in particular, invites a conversation between control and surrender. Each layer leaves a trace, and nothing is ever fully erased, which aligns with my interest in memory, myth, and the way meaning accumulates.
Do you have themes that you explore, and if, yes, tell us about them. What is your preferred medium?
Yes, my work is rooted in recurring themes of memory, intuition, and the stories we inherit and construct. I am drawn to materials that carry history or suggest prior lives. Mixed media, particularly encaustic, is my preferred medium because it allows me to work slowly and responsively. Wax holds light, texture and time in a way that feels deeply aligned with the ideas I am exploring.
Mention some memorable exhibits that you participated in – group or solo?
I’ve just come home from the opening of a new exhibit in Taos, at the Taos Ceramic Center. The exhibit featured my work as well as the work of three other artists. The title was “Encantos” (Enchantments). It featured clay work, assemblages and collages. Other exhibitions I enjoy are juried shows at the San Antonio Art League and all the GAGA (Gentileschi Aegis Gallery Association) shows. My last solo show was at the Carver Center in 2014. I need to find time to make more art!
You are currently the president of the San Antonio Art League and Museum. What are your goals as president?
I see my role as president as one of care and continuity… My hope is that the Art League continues to be a place where artists feel welcomed, supported and connected.
Tell us about upcoming shows and projects.
We have a wonderful exhibition of our first-class Permanent Collection on display now until Feb.
20th. Visitors are astounded that there are such historically significant paintings in our collection.
Tell us about the house that houses the museum.
We love our beautiful home in the King William (neighborhood). The building began its life in 1896 as a carriage house, part of a larger Victorian-era estate in what is now the King William Historic District. It was purchased by the Art League in the late 1980s. Its adaptation into a museum and gallery space gave the organization a permanent home while preserving the character of the historic structure.
Do you like seeing your works being displayed in other galleries, business spaces and private collections?
Yes, very much so. Loaning works and placing them beyond our walls is healthy for the San Antonio Art League and Museum. It builds trust, visibility and accountability, and allows the collection to participate in a broader cultural conversation. On the personal level, I feel the same about my own work. Making art is my primary language – It’s how I communicate, reflect and share ideas.
How do you view San Antonio’s arts scene as a whole?
San Antonio arts scene is deeply rooted, community- driven and richly multicultural. It reflects the city itself- shaped by strong Hispanic and Latino traditions, Indigenous and borderland histories, and a wide range of contemporary voices. One of its great strengths is the way multiple generations of artists coexist here, from established practitioners to emerging artists who are redefining materials, narratives and platforms.
Tell us about upcoming events at SAAL+M, and programs.
Besides our current exhibition featuring works from the vault that are rarely seen, we are looking ahead to several programs. The Collegiate Exhibition is coming up soon, and we are also preparing for the 96th Juried Exhibition, which opens April 12…. I have had a sneak peek at the more than 500 submissions, and it’s going to be an exceptional show.
What art works – here or elsewhere- have had the strongest impact on you?
Two formative encounters shaped my understanding of what art could be – one intellectual and one deeply emotional. Early on, encountering the Combines of Robert Rauschenberg was transformative. His integration of photographs, found objects and expressive mark-making dismantled the traditional boundaries between painting, collage and assemblage, opening a visual language built through layering and accumulation. That sense of permission- to work across materials and meanings- has stayed with me throughout my practice.
Equally powerful was encountering “The Two Fridas” by Frida Kahlo. Together, these influences shaped my path toward mixed media and assemblage.
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Thank you, Jasmina, for these thoughtful questions! I think it would be great for all of us to “interview” ourselves occasionally – it really is a good exercise. I’m grateful for all you do for San Antonio artists in every genre.
Lyn is a rare kind of leader—one who leads with quiet authority, clarity of vision, and genuine respect for the people around her. She brings steadiness to complex situations and has an intuitive sense of when to guide, when to listen, and when to step back and let others shine. Under her leadership, collaboration feels natural rather than forced, and excellence feels encouraged rather than demanded.
As an artist, Lyn works with the same depth and integrity she brings to leadership. Her work carries a strong sense of presence—layered, thoughtful, and emotionally resonant. There is a feeling of history and intention in her imagery, as though each piece has been carefully listened to as it evolved. Her art does not seek attention; it earns it, drawing the viewer in through texture, symbolism, and quiet strength.
What makes Lyn especially impactful is how seamlessly these two identities intersect. Her leadership is informed by an artist’s sensitivity, and her art reflects a leader’s understanding of responsibility, balance, and care. She elevates both the creative work and the community around it, leaving people feeling supported, seen, and inspired.
Working alongside Lyn is both grounding—and a privilege.
Thank you Jasmina for such an insightful interview with Lyn Belisle! She’s great!
Lyn has endless energy and a great sense of how to build a community of like minded artists. She is responsible for bringing together and sustaining a growing San Antonio art scene.