Featured Teresa Munoz

Printmaker Teresa Munoz presents a delightful portfolio of monotypes and collagraphs that celebrate the natural world. Find more of her work on her website.

 

 

The simplest reason for my early passion for art was God’s support, encouragement, and provision of experiences that fueled that interest. I was asked to do chalkboard drawings for a class science lesson, received an honorable mention in a local poster contest, won first place in an international competition, all in grammar school, and received a college art scholarship. Each of these pushed my talent forward without even taking a formal art class.

 

 

At age 20, my life’s journey led me to teach grammar school. Though difficult, I continued my BA studies, during the summers, while finally enrolling in general art classes. Inspired by Auguste Rodin, I changed my attention to sculpture and added photography classes.

 

 

My journey in life soon took another turn when college administrators encouraged me to pursue an MA in printmaking and return to the college where I was studying and establish a new printmaking area. I enrolled in many printmaking classes to learn approaches and techniques so I could apply these to my new job. Influenced by Corita Kent’s energetic and powerfully bold posters, I focused on photo-silkscreen.

 

 

Later I sought an MFA for more in-depth printmaking. Collagraph printing piqued my interest since it allowed me to incorporate actual 3-D objects, a sculpting influence, and display intricate textures, honed through close-up photography training.

 

 

My artist “voice” then and now, is not to replicate and copy through drawing, painting, sculpture, or photography, but rather to use actual nature and manufactured objects and print directly from them. I use these objects as embossments/crevices to hold ink on surfaces, resulting in impressive and powerful, texturally inked shapes that catch the eye from a distance but reveal recognized close-up details with closer exploration.

 

 

The diptych, triptych, and quadriptych compositions I use in most of my collagraphs are intended to give space to the objects themselves while also letting the transition of a linear strength coming from the transformation of objects, content, color, and meaning. This ensures that each panel is independent and interdependent of the overall piece. The thrust of my theme is birth, life, death, and new transformational life again.

 

 

When encountering monotype printing, I was captivated by its spontaneity. Despite the outcome being more painterly, the technique relies on printmaking principles. Learning I could add intricate textures, I accepted it eagerly.

 

 

I still create collagraphs and monotypes and often combine both techniques. Now and then, I will add actual natural or manufactured objects to give more depth to my work. The urge to present bold shapes, bright colors, strong lines, and detailed textures, so that the eye transports feelings through energy and dynamism, is my art’s continuing mission.

 

 

I taught art at a university for 49 years, knowing that I gave my students all I learned for myself. Through the unwavering support of God and a series of serendipitous experiences, my artistic journey evolved from humble beginnings to wanting to go beyond just looking at reality to bring a freshness, relatedness, and sacredness of vision.

 

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