#3 • Rie Muñoz "Poker at the Blue Moon Café" Watercolor c.1967

Part of The Works of Rie Muñoz Art Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $1,200.00

Status: Sold

Category: Art

A lovely early watercolor painting by Alaska artist Rie Muñoz entitled "Poker at the Blue Moon Café". The work depicts a vibrant view of a building with a small side porch, a pair of oil drums, and a brightly illuminated window revealing a trio of men sitting at a round table, each holding a hand of cards. The painting is accompanied by a note from the Rie Muñoz Gallery that reads "Poker at the Blue Moon Cafe, 1967, watercolor is a fun reminder of Rosie Floresca and her lovely establishment. Poker and playing cards in general was a standard evening pastime before TV's [sic] came to Tenakee." The artist, although based in Juneau, spent considerable time visiting and vacationing in Tenakee, a small, unincorporated city on Chichagof Island in Southeast Alaska, about forty-five miles southwest of the state capital and accessible only by air or sea. The community of Tenakee Springs is renowned for its natural hot springs, bathhouse, and lack of cars, featuring only a main street suitable for walking and all-terrain vehicles. It features prominently in many of the artist's paintings over the years. Signed and dated by the artist, lower right. Matted and framed measuring approximately 16.25" x 20.75" overall with a sight view of 9" x 13.75".