Luz Marina Ruiz "Resiliency I" Tunnel Book, Linocut Monotype Paper Sculpture in Blue, Carmel California Art, Original 12 X 24 Inches, 2023

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A tall tunnel book of printed and cut sheets rises in shimmering blues, from a pale lattice of cut-outs along … Read more A tall tunnel book of printed and cut sheets rises in shimmering blues, from a pale lattice of cut-outs along the side walls to dark, wave-filled layers behind. Large spirals curl in cream and gold at the front, a swelling cloud or sea creature sweeps across the middle, and a moon glows through the upper layers, all etched with fine linear marks and flecked with bronze. The sheets create real depth, as if looking down a tunnel of tide and night. Luz Marina Ruiz layers texture and pigment to build luminous, tactile surfaces, and the effect here is remarkable.

A commanding object for a deep console, a mantel, a bookcase or a coffee table, where it can be viewed from the front and from the sides. The cut lattice casts delicate shadows when placed near a lamp or a window. Its blues and bronze tones suit dark wood, brass, white plaster and navy textiles, and it makes a memorable focal point in a living room, library or hall.

Tunnel Book, linocut, monotype, watercolor and gouache, 12 x 24 x 10 in (30.5 x 61.0 x 25.4 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