10-year anniversary exhibition
Melinda Munoz – Hürzeler
January 10th 2010 – December 31st 2010
At the Hotel Waldhausam See in St.Moritz
Art is an interesting thing
What someone considers Art varies from person to person; and really, anything someone expresses through
a creation can be called Art. So too my Art is an expression of myself, and as I grow as a person,
so my Art changes.
This exhibition at the Hotel Waldhausam See this year is a good opportunity for me to reflect back on my
journey with Art. Ten years ago at 18 years of age, I had an exhibition here in this Hotel with my Neocolor
pictures; the theme was “Sports in the Engadin”. Now I will exhibit here again with a variety of paintings
which tell the story of my development as an artist in the last 10 years.
I have always been fascinated with the challenge, to put something that I see on paper. As a young girl
I often tried to draw people; at school schoolmates, people on the train, friends and family. It is especially
fun to draw them when they don’t realize it, when you can capture a natural moment or a genuine smile.
Another turning point came in 1998 when during my apprenticeship as a draftsman, I developed a modern style
with Neocolor, which gave me the challenge to capture a face as well as a personality with only a few lines
and color patches. That was exciting and for the next three years I continued to develop this style, also
with animals and sports scenes. I was mostly interested in better technique and the possibility to support
myself with my Art.
New York brings a new perspective
So I decided to move to New York, USA after my completing of the apprenticeship, to attend a professional
art school, “the Art Student’s League of New York”. With hard work and with the aid of another exhibition
here at the Waldhaus, I was able to start these studies in August 2001. It was very exciting to try different
techniques and to get to know artists from all over the world. So far I had not learned much about oil painting,
and I developed a new interest in it. All my visits in the many museums of New York exposed me to a multitude
of different art, from Impressionism to modern art. But most of all those artists fascinated me who are able
to capture people and nature with clarity and realism. For example Nelson Shanks, who can bring people onto
the canvas with amazing detail and character. From him I’ve learned most of my technique for portraits in oil.
Soon I realized that for me the real beauty lies in nature and in humans. I noticed how much my life in the Engadin
influenced my love for nature. Although life in the city was fascinating for a while, I soon started to look for
the peace and quiet of parks and lakes. Therefore I spent much time in Central Park and I discovered many beautiful
details, like a weeping willow quietly dancing on the calm waters, leaves that are gliding on the water and are
spreading little tiny waves around them, or young trees that artistically wind themselves around fences and windows.
I saw, what a beautiful home we have in our planet earth. The things that are truly breathtaking are the things that
God has created a long time ago for us. And our life can be so busy sometimes that we don’t have time to stop and
look at these creations. All around us existart pieces, moments that disappear if they are not seen. Therefore I
decided that my art can be my way, to capture these moments with the hope that the viewer will be encouraged to
take more time to look at these details in daily life.
After three years in New York I got married there and my husband and I moved to Portland, Oregon, on the West coast
of America, which is one of the most luscious and green states in this country. Here I enjoy studying and painting
the multitude of plants and flowers which exist here in an abundance that I have never seen before.
Back to the Engadin
Still my journey brought me back to the Engadin, when I visited Switzerland in October 2008, which was a very snowy
winter. Again I saw what a marvelous beauty the snow has, and so I tried to capture a few of these moments in a new
Collection in oil, which are also exhibited this year at the Hotel Waldhaus for the first time.
So my journey of the last ten years has brought me from the drawing of colorful faces and sport scenes to the attempt,
to capture details of nature and humans in realistic oil paintings. This is my story. I hope you will enjoy following
my story with art in this exhibition.
Vernissage: January 10th, 2010, 6pm