At age 91 Rie Munoz is enjoying life very much
writing her memoirs and recently home after a 3 month trip to California. Rie rented a small house in Morro Bay near
her brother Piet. A friend stayed with her the first month and the last month Matthew and I picked her up and we all
went to Palm Springs.
We had a grand time in Palm Springs. Cathy, Mercedes and her boyfriend, Jamie Daniels, stayed for a week
during spring break. We rented a house with a swimming pool and the dry desert breeze would dry you off
in about one minute. The doves made the most wonderful cooing sound in the mornings and evenings. We had
lemon, orange and grapefruit trees in full bloom in the yard.
Rie liked exercising in the warm pool and watching all the fun, this usually
involved Matthew and some imaginary Star Wars game.
Cathy's brother Allan and her mother, Sally, were staying in their house nearby
and we saw them daily. With all the lemons around we were having lots of lemon meringue pies.
Before we returned to Juneau I promised Matthew that we would go to Legoland,
in Carlsbad near San Diego. I sort of dreaded it, expecting mass crowds, but was pleasantly surprised. We arrived one week before
spring break and there were no lines to speak of. Rie went to Legoland one day and even rode a couple of rides!
THE MISSING IMAGE
A 1977 silkscreen by Rie Munoz that is not shown in any of Rie's art books, appeared at the gallery last week.
An edition of 18, this piece was commissioned by Steve Zimmerman, a friend of Rie's. The title on the piece reads,
"Auke Bay Marine Biologists Visit King Island Summer 1976", but I prefer calling it the "King Island/Zimmerman silkscreen"
since it's shorter.
Steve asked Rie if she would make this silkscreen so he could give one to each of the 18 people who were on an intertidal
research program funded by NOAA. Rie cut the stencil and pulled the silkscreen with one color of Baltic blue. She then
went back and hand colored each of the 14 people on the beach. (18x14=252). She signed and numbered the edition and gave
it to Steve in return for $200 and a set of 4 glass goblets.
HEALTH
As Rie would say, "I can't see very well, my hearing is shot and my legs are stiff, but I'm doing fine."
She also says that she and the former Pope have something in common. She borrows his quote when he resigned,
"We both have a diminishing reservoir of energy."
RIE MUNOZ GALLERY
If you or any of your friends plan to visit Juneau this summer we extend an invitation to visit our
beautiful gallery in the valley. The gallery is a treasure trove of Munoz originals, tapestries,
stained glass, and memorabilia. We also have most lithographs, silkscreens, posters and books Munoz
has done over her career. For anybody interested in Rie Munoz this is a must do experience.
Hours for the Rie Munoz Gallery are Tuesday through Saturday 11am-5pm. We are happy to open the
gallery if your schedule differs from ours. You can e-mail us or call the toll
free number at 1-800-247-3151. We are located 'out the road' in the valley, across from the Nugget Mall.
You can catch the 'Express Bus' every half hour from downtown Juneau where the cruise ships dock. A cab ride
is about $25 if you prefer. See you there!