Sylvia Benitez, an oil painter nationally known for her dreamy landscape vistas of Texas, has been selected the 2022 Artist of the Year by the San Antonio Art League & Museum.

Benitez, also an educator and art organization founder, will be celebrated with an opening reception and six-week exhibit of her work at SAALM, beginning Sunday, Sept. 25. The King William-area art museum has recognized local artists for the annual honor since 1945, based on the excellence of their work and active participation in the arts community.

Benitez is a keen observer of the Texas landscape. Her impressionistic vistas of fields, forests, mountains, lakes, and shadows create visual expressions that transcend the merely observed to a moving personal and emotional experience.

“My paintings are solace gleaned from nature, a retreat from time, a retreat from burden…. I retreat into them. Here I live,” Benitez said.

The free exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday 10am-3pm at 130 King William Street.