Juan,
Cathy, and Mercedes returned from a month in Chile, South America.
We were taken under the wing of our family in La Serena and spent
most of our time in the Andes Mountains in a small village called
Cochiguaz. Cochiguaz is at an elevation of about 5000' with desert
mountains reaching up another 7000'.
The Cochiguaz
River winds its way through the Andes offering ponds to cool off in
during the 90 degree days. The seasons are opposite from ours so it
was their summer vacation in December. The town has about 100 residents
and children ride to school on horseback everyday. There is no electricity
up there, but it's not missed much. The main industry is grapes for
Chilean wine. Our family is active in the winery business with huge
vats of Cabernets and Merlots awaiting shipment. Sampling was one
of our favorite pastimes. Dinner usually involved a goat or a lamb,
which we would butcher ourselves
.
INTERVIEW
WITH MUNOZ
University of Oregon
student Tyler Weston recently asked Rie Muñoz for an interview
for his mid-term paper. His class was an Internet based class that discussed
art, human values, and the artist's point of view. The following are
excerpts from this interview.
How would you
describe your work? Would you say it is modern? What genre is it?
"It's only modern from the standpoint that I'm alive. As far
as genre-try expressionistic (that's as close as I can come)."
How does your
work express your values?
"My values are expressed by the subject matter; beauty in nature,
simple life style, honest day's work, real people as opposed to people
who put on airs, etc."
What impact
has your work had on the culture which you depict?
"When I go to Native Villages to sketch I am always warmly welcomed
by those who know me as an artist and simply welcomed by those who don't.
"She understands us," one Native villager told a gallery owner.
That's about right. I never paint anything I haven't personally seen-except
for legends, and the man in the steam bath, although I did see the steam
bath.
What is your
intention when creating your work? What does it demonstrate?
"I have no intention. All it demonstrates is that these are
the subjects I like to paint.
How does the
creation of your work affect your lifestyle?
Super Good! I love Alaska, I love going to villages, and I love painting!
RIE
MUNOZ LTD AT SEATTLE GIFT SHOW
Rie Muñoz
Ltd. will have a booth at the Seattle Gift Show starting Saturday, January
25 and ending Wednesday January 29. Demi Skinas, our bookkeeper, will
be running booth #5537 and would be pleased to have you stop by if you
are there.