The Kris Kringle Artist Caravan will make its annual visit to Temple soon, and this year the event will cover three days.
For the second year, the event will be held at Sterle Fine Art Studio, located just west of downtown at 8 N. Ninth Street, and this year the arts and gifts sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2 and 4.
For those with an art-lover on their holiday shopping list, the Kris Kringle Artist Caravan is the perfect gift-buying opportunity.
“We will have a collection of affordable art by local artists, and gifts will be priced as low as $5,” said Susan Sterle, owner of Sterle Fine Art Studio and organizer of the Caravan.
“Items available will include original paintings and prints, and sketchbooks and pencil sets for the budding artists in the family,” she said. “The event will be inside and on the studio porch, and I will have art outside in a tent.”
Joining Sterle at this year’s caravan will be local artists Kurt Ritterpusch, Melanie Stokes, Jesse Tamez, Doris Wylie Fulton and Adel Sawyer.
“The artists are all from the Waco, Temple and Belton areas,” Sterle said. “They all will be presenting two-dimensional art.”
About 20% of all sales will benefit the Hope Pregnancy Center, www.hopepc.com.
“I chose the Hope Pregnancy Center for this year’s charity because they are a Christian organization that works to protect and preserve life,” Sterle said. “All of the artists that participate in the caravan are Christian and also support this charity.”
In addition to painting outdoor scenes in and around Central Texas, Sterle also is known for her animal-based art. She has been painting the horses, cows, and dogs of local residents for years, and a walk-through of her studio is dominated by animal art.
“Over the years I’ve been commissioned by people who want paintings of their pets,” she said. “I love animals, and it’s something I really enjoy.”