Rie Munoz (1921-2015) American/Alaskan. Original and lithograph. Signed titled and dated in pencil.
Rie (from Marie) Munoz (moo nyos), studied art at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. In 1950, she traveled up the Inside Passage by steamship, fell in love with Juneau, and gave herself until the boat left the next day to find a job and a place to live. Since then Juneau has been home to Munoz. She began painting small vignettes of Alaska soon after arriving in Juneau, and also studied art at the University of Alaska-Juneau.
Munoz painted in oils in what she describes as a "painstakingly realistic" style, which she found stiff and "somewhat boring." Her breakthrough came a few years later when an artist friend introduced her to a versatile, water-soluble paint called casein. The immediacy of this inexpensive medium prompted an entirely new style. Rie's paintings became colorful and carefree, mirroring her own optimistic attitude toward life. With her newfound technique she set about recording everyday scenes of Alaskans at work and at play.
Overall size: 18 3/8 x 25 3/8 in.
Sight size: 14 x 21 in.