{"id":427395,"date":"2026-08-08T14:40:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/427395\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:40:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:40:22","slug":"18-feet-high-and-rising-the-artistic-evolution-of-elizabeth-munzon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/427395\/","title":{"rendered":"18 feet high and rising: The artistic evolution of Elizabeth Munz\u00f3n"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach is known for its community-driven art, both plastered in public spaces across the city and painstakingly curated in independent galleries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Munz\u00f3n, a Long Beach local, was one of many artists who painted murals during this year\u2019s edition of the festival. She has been a mainstay in the city\u2019s gallery scene for nearly a decade. But last month, Munz\u00f3n\u2019s work reached new heights \u2014 about 18 feet to be exact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Growing up, she remembers painting as early as kindergarten.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Munz\u00f3n said she realized she had a talent for the arts in first grade when she saw a lizard outside and drew it from memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went back into the classroom and everyone was like, \u2018Draw me one! Draw me one!\u2019\u201d she said. She indulged her classmates, and eventually her teacher, who asked her to draw the lizard on the chalkboard for the entire class.<\/p>\n

In the years following, Munz\u00f3n considered art only a hobby. She didn\u2019t consider it a career option until she was attending Long Beach City College in 2008.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elizabeth Munz\u00f3n, a 2017 Cal State Long Beach graduate in fine arts, works at her office inside Munz\u00f3n Gallery on August 5, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

During that time, she began discovering art magazines such as Jusxtapoz Magazine<\/a> and Hi-Frutose<\/a>, which were partially responsible for her last-minute decision to switch to a painting and drawing major at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018You know what, I don\u2019t know what I want to do with this. I\u2019m winging it, but I know I just want to keep painting and I\u2019ll figure it out,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Munz\u00f3n\u2019s focus early in her career was identity and pre-Hispanic histories and mythologies, gaining inspiration from Mexico City and her cousin\u2019s knowledge of Aztec gods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to see how things are preserved and how the history is so visible within the city and that\u2019s what probably got me interested in [pre-Hispanic histories and mythologies] \u2026 and [it] helped me feel a connection with my cultural heritage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She remembers going on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, and seeing a woman selling paintings on tree bark paper, which helped her find a topic for her college body of work and fueled her interest in her culture\u2019s myths and mythology<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upon graduating from CSULB in 2017, she co-founded the Flatline Art Gallery with artist Cynthia Luj\u00e1n. At the time, she was also a marketing intern for the Arts Council in Long Beach and in 2019, they offered her a job as an Arts Education Program Associate.<\/p>\n

\"\"Holding reference paper in one hand, muralist Elizabeth Munz\u00f3n quickly dips her paintbrush in one of the buckets as she colors in an orange flower on June 10, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

A few months later, she made the difficult decision to quit her job with the council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved working with the Arts Council but at the same time that I graduated, I ended up finding a storefront that worked as my studio, because I was working in my living room,\u201d Munz\u00f3n said. \u201cI felt like I had to leave my job and fully focus on it [her commercial art galleries].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic happened soon after, which at first made her nervous for the path she chose, but the chance to slow down eventually helped Munz\u00f3n learn how to balance owning a gallery and continuing to work on her own art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At this time, she also took on the responsibility as the solo director<\/a> for Flatline Gallery. The gallery continued until September 2022, when it closed its North Long Beach location<\/a> and transitioned into Munz\u00f3n Gallery.<\/p>\n

Munz\u00f3n said she wanted to level up her gallery and be more ambitious with exhibitions, which inspired her to rebrand and start fresh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the past few years, her art has focused on paintings<\/a> of people and family members such as \u201cHappy Birthday, Edgar,\u201d \u201cEl Cenzontle mi Mam\u00e0\u201d and her self-portrait \u201cThrone of Maguey.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Munz\u00f3n Gallery focuses on painting and printmaking, showcasing emerging artists<\/a>, rental studio space, workshops and exhibitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Elizabeth Munz\u00f3n, a San Fernando Valley born artist, paints one of her paintings on August 5, 2026 inside her Munz\u00f3n gallery. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

In late 2025, Long Beach Walls reached out to Munz\u00f3n about painting a mural inside Cesar Chavez Elementary School.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While she was always intimidated by murals, Munz\u00f3n said she felt it was the perfect time (with the support of Long Beach Walls) to accomplish her first large-scale mural.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting such a huge wall; it was definitely a transition [and there] was a learning curve to it,\u201d Munz\u00f3n said. \u201cWorking with paint that dries faster and also working in the elements takes a toll on your energy \u2026 I had to figure out how to achieve what I was imagining with something that dries and flows completely different on oil paint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Munz\u00f3n decided to do something plant-focused [plants, poppies and butterflies] since she felt like plants were the subject matter to paint because it was her first mural.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to pick plants that were symbolic of the location and also culturally significant,\u201d Munz\u00f3n said. \u201cWith the cactus and the Nopales, those I feel like being Mexican-American, we all recognize those right away \u2026 I feel like all three represent natural elements that are resilient to certain obstacles and things that come around their path.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Elizabeth Munz\u00f3n, one of many Long Beach Walls artists, shades in the orange flower just before the runners from the mural run event stop by to visit on June 10, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

She\u2019s recently focused more on familial bonds and her family home within her artwork.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe longer I\u2019ve been away from home and my parents, the more I get nostalgic for my home I grew up in,\u201d Munz\u00f3n said. \u201cI\u2019ve just been recently looking back at moments of hanging out with my parents and I think I\u2019ve incorporated a lot of my mom\u2019s garden and elements of my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Munz\u00f3n is currently taking a break from exhibitions, focusing on bringing her inventory up to speed and resetting as she prepares for the next body of work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said she is working on a few pieces for a few shows later in the year and she\u2019ll be opening her studio (1730 E Anaheim St., Unit A) during the Long Beach Open Studio Tour on Oct. 17-18 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

To keep up with Munz\u00f3n, follow her on Instagram<\/a> and to purchase her art, check out munzongallery.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"SamuelSamuel ChackoPhoto Editor<\/p>\n

Samuel Chacko is an award-winning photojournalist from Long Beach, California. Samuel currently works as a freelance journalist for multiple publications and he is a class of 2025 Cal State Long Beach graduate. Samuel loves watching sports (the Ravens and the Yankees) and taking photos.
Check out more of Samuel\u2019s work here: https:\/\/samuelchacko.com\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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