Luz Marina Ruiz "Luna Mar" Tunnel Book, Linocut Watercolor Paper Sculpture in Midnight Blue, Bay Area California Art, Original 8 X 10.75 Inches, 2021

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In this tunnel book of linocut and watercolor on paper by Bay Area artist Luz Marina Ruiz, layer upon layer … Read more In this tunnel book of linocut and watercolor on paper by Bay Area artist Luz Marina Ruiz, layer upon layer of cut and printed paper in midnight blue, teal and violet rise in sharp leaf and flame shapes, with an orange spiral glowing at the center like a moon caught in a wave. Fine linocut lines in cream and coral stripe the arches, small pink flecks scatter through the dark, and a lace of cut-outs runs along the teal side walls so that light and shadow play through the structure. Luna Mar means moon sea, and the piece feels like a night tide seen from within. Luz Marina Ruiz designs her tunnel books for the passage of light through each segment.

A small sculptural piece for a bookcase, a mantel, a console or a desk, where it can be turned and seen from several sides. Placed near a lamp or a window, its openings cast delicate shadows across the surface beneath. The deep blues and orange accent pair with wood, brass, books and ceramics, and it suits a study, a bedroom or an entry table that needs a quiet focal point.

Tunnel Book, linocut, watercolor and gouache, 8 x 10.75 x 4 in (20.3 x 27.3 x 10.2 cm).

A tunnel book is a sequence of printed and cut layers joined by folded side walls, so the scene reads in depth as you look through it. Luz Marina Ruiz combines printmaking techniques such as linocut, woodcut and monotype, sometimes with hand-applied watercolor and gouache, then cuts and assembles the layers, designing each for the passage of light through its openings.

Luz Marina Ruiz was born in Cali, Colombia, and raised in New York. She earned her BA, MA and MFA at the University of California, Berkeley, and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she teaches printmaking at the California College of the Arts.

Her practice moves between painting, drawing, printmaking and book arts, with linocut, collagraph, monotype and woodcut often turned into sculptural tunnel books and carousel books. Inspired by dreams and nature, she returns to water and boats as images of life's journeys. Her work is held in public collections including the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Library and Mills College Special Collections. See less