Painting by Steve Schleuter to be Auctioned Off at Winter Games

By Steve Helm

When Winter Games return to Austin in February, the annual silent auction in Athlete Village will feature a marquee piece of artwork by Steve Schleuter (pictured left), a SOTX athlete of nearly 40 years. The acrylic oil painting, entitled “Eternal Flower of Love”, depicts a deeper interpretation of love and understanding being spread amongst each other.

He chose this particular piece to donate to the SOTX Winter Games Silent Auction because he felt it is one of his most pretty and unique pieces.

Schleuter’s inspiration for the piece came from the 1960’s hippie flower child movement, which portrayed a message of love and respect for all. 

Since he began painting in the mid 1960’s, Schleuter has painted over 130 works with this theme using various colors and techniques along the way.

Over the course of his involvement in Special Olympics, Schleuter has competed in Athletics and Aquatics. He has gone as far as nationals, but now at 65 years old, he sticks to regional and state competitions. While he no longer competes in the track & field events due to physical reasons, he continues to swim. Earlier this year, Schleuter won a gold and two silvers medals at Fall Classic in Bryan/College Station.

Be sure to stop by the Silent Auction table at Athlete Village during Winter Games on Friday, Feb. 6 (10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.) and Saturday, Feb. 7 (10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) at Norris Conference Centers Austin (2525 W Anderson Lane, Suite 365, Austin, TX 78757) for your chance to bid on this exquisite piece of artwork!

[Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Will Hoermann for contributing to this piece.]