Imprint Your World With Fine Art
Vibrant prints merging tradition & innovation.
Meet Teresa Muñoz
Guided by a belief in the power of creativity, I have spent seventy-five years exploring, teaching, and pushing the boundaries of printmaking. My passion is sharing the intricate balance between tradition and experimentation with art lovers and fellow adventurers. As both an internationally featured artist and long-time university professor, I bring depth, warmth, and an encouraging spirit to each encounter - whether viewers join my journey as collectors, students, or curious visitors.
Discover the Evolution of a Lifelong Artist
I received my B.A. from Marymount College, Los Angeles, an M.A. in Photo-Silkscreen from California State University, Northridge, and an M.F.A. in Collagraph Printmaking from California State University, Long Beach. I pursued further studies at the University of California, Los Angeles; Indiana State University; Instituto Allende, San Miguel, Mexico; Santa Rapata Institute, Florence, Italy; Robert Blackburn Workshop, New York City, New York; Graphics Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Kala Institute, Berkeley, California.
I began my art career as a sculptor and later pursued photography. In the early 1970s, I was introduced to printmaking and decided to combine my photography expertise with it. For over 40 years, I have been involved in exploring and experimenting with printmaking techniques, both with photographic and sculptural connotations. Collagraphic images have been my passion, leading to 72” or 96” triptychs and quadriptychs from the 1980s through the mid-1990s. In 1997, my attention shifted to monotype printing, and now I create images that incorporate both collagraphic and monotype techniques, often including found objects.
My work is shown in the Artspan marketplace and has been exhibited at venues such as the Riverside Art Museum (CA), Eagle Rock Museum (CA), In the Art Gallery.com (Center of Battle Creek, MI), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), Gallery Castle (Stockholm, Sweden), Shaw Gallery (Vancouver, BC), Valdosa State University (GA), Honolulu (HI), Hilo (HI), ASI Gallery (San Francisco, CA), University of Colorado (CO), St. Joseph’s University (PA), Orange Coast College (CA), Los Angeles Harbor College (CA), Brand Library Galleries (CA), Korean Arts Cultural Center (CA), Laband Art Gallery (LMU, CA), and other national and international venues. My work was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in a juried exhibition at Art 54 Gallery (NY) and the Art Achievement Award in the ASI juried exhibition in San Francisco.
I served as Co-Chair of Studio Arts from 2006 to 2012, Chair of the Art & Art History Department from 1991 to 1995, and Program Head of Printmaking since 1974 at Loyola Marymount University. I have also taught various subjects within the department, including sculpture, watercolor painting, drawing, figure drawing, photography, illustration, hand lettering, advertising graphics, computer graphics, and screenprinting. For the last 20 years, I taught drawing and printmaking, focusing on relief and intaglio printmaking. During Covid, in 2021, I formally retired from Loyola Marymount University.
Description and Reflection of My Art:
My early interest in three-dimensional imagery has remained evident in my image-making as I developed expertise in collagraph printmaking. I used “found” objects such as twigs, cartons, cans, and leaves, incorporating them into my art through the collagraphic printmaking process (“colla”- collage elements), because I could use the actual objects themselves and print from them. This approach provided numerous possibilities for me to be involved directly with nature and with manufactured items in a more personal way than by simply copying from them. Nothing, no object, was a mere symbol of anything but itself.
For years, I concerned myself with the perception of space, movement, and light. I also continued to use color, texture, and both bold and minute shapes. As the monotype technique became more important to me because of the spontaneity the technique presumed, I was drawn to using both approaches. I incorporated real-life objects into the more spontaneous, painterly imagery of the monotype, but I discovered a struggle—not in imagery but in two supposedly different approaches. After years of experimenting and achieving mixed results, I was able to realize my artistic intent of harmonizing two supposedly incompatible printmaking approaches into one. To date, I find my imagery to be less stringent and mechanical, more fresh, and more poetic and lyrical.
Not abandoning my early concentration on large triptych and quadriptych collagraph images, I was also curious about creating monotypes in triptych formats. As has been my focus for several years, I pursued mundane, recognizable objects and images, but now I place them in other monotype world realities. This has created a comfortable combination in two printmaking methods. Currently, I am developing my collagraphs in combination with monotypes and, on occasion, I include actual objects in my imagery.
I continue to experience satisfaction as a result of the struggle to create an inner life from mundane material, and I delight in discovering value in things from the world around me. I create beauty from “ugly,” discarded things, giving “re-birth” to once-dead objects. I give these objects new color, different roles, and new environments. Because of shifts in environmental patterns—the cycle from birth to maturity to death—I bring things back to life, or birth, again. I am present in the world, and I wish to inspire and save it.
Artist Statement
Embracing art is a deeply personal and intense connection that has allowed me to bring forth a vision that is both fresh and sacred. In striving to express my concerns and support of the world around me, I pursued going beyond conventional perceptions, capturing the essence of the world, and presenting it in a manner that resonates with a profound sense of vitality.
Out of the necessity of pursuing numerous printmaking techniques to teach these to students, I was captured by the collagraph technique because it allowed me to breathe life into the tangible, discarded materials and elements of nature and use these with a newfound vibrancy. In doing so, each piece becomes a testament to the beauty and significance inherent in every object I saw and touched, refusing to reduce anything to mere symbolism; that is, merely copying from it. This use of actual, tangible objects ignited a reinterpretation of the world around me, by granting new identities to the familiar and unexpected.
My use of triptych and quadriptych formats provides space for a dynamic interplay of shapes, colors, and movements to evolve or transform these objects into new identities, serving as an invitation to explore the subtle yet profound connections between nature and technology, life and death.
As an artist, I am committed to infusing my work with bold shapes, striking movement, and vibrant colors. The interplay of these elements weaves a rich tapestry that celebrates the pulsating energy inherent in every tangible object used. It is a celebration of existence, a testament to the richness of the world in all its diverse forms.
Through the harmonious fusion of collagraphic expertise, numerous monotype experimentations, and the introduction of the use of real objects in some of my art, I seek to engage the viewer in a dialogue that transcends the boundaries of traditional art forms. This approach speaks to my deep-seated and fundamental attachment to sculpture, infusing every piece with a tangible, visceral connection.
Ultimately, my art is a celebration of life and the profound interconnectedness of all things. It seeks to inspire a reverence for the world around us, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us everyday. It is a reaffirmation of the inherent goodness of existence, a testament to the enduring cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
Frequently Asked Questions & Meet the Artist
Get to know more about the artist behind the work. In this section, I answer common questions about my creative process, techniques, and artistic journey. Learn about my inspiration, the evolution of my art, and what drives my passion for printmaking and sculpture. Whether you're a fellow artist, an art enthusiast, or simply curious, this page offers an intimate look into my world and my work.
Explore the Artistic Journey of Teresa Muñoz
Learn about her creative evolution, techniques, and the passion that drives her unique approach to art. Discover featured articles showcasing her collagraphic and monotype works, as well as her impact on the art community through exhibitions and teaching.