Luz Marina Ruiz

Luz Marina Ruiz

Oakland-based artist Luz Marina Ruiz works across painting, printmaking, drawing, mixed media, book arts, and installation. Inspired by nature and the world of dreams, her imagery often centers on water and boats as metaphors for life’s journeys. Ruiz’s process embraces the experimental nature of printmaking, layering texture and pigment to create luminous, tactile surfaces. Born in Cali, Colombia, and raised in New York, she earned her BA, MA, and MFA from the University of California, Berkeley. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Library, and Mills College Special Collections.

She is a former professor of printmaking at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

LUZ MARINA RUIZ
Born in Cali, Colombia
Based in San Francisco, CA

EDUCATION
1986 — University of California, Berkeley — M.F.A. (Painting)
1985 — University of California, Berkeley — M.A. (Painting)
1983 — University of California, Berkeley — B.A. (Printmaking & Painting)
1980 — City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA (Artists’ Book Collection)
UC Berkeley, Environmental Design Library (Rare Books Collection), Berkeley, CA
Mills College, Special Collections Library
USC Special Collections Library, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Hay Library, Brown University, Providence, RI
Indiana University, Arts Library (Artist Book Collection), Bloomington, IN
American Express, San Francisco, CA
Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA
Kaiser Hospital, Hayward, CA
Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, CA
Hughes Aircraft, Los Angeles, CA
T.P.S.F.C., Denver, CO
Cynthia Farner, San Francisco, CA
Susan and Paul Sniderman, Lafayette, CA

SOLO & TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2021 — In the Middle of the Boat, Castro Country Club, San Francisco, CA (Solo)
2021 — A Stitch in Time, San Pablo Community Art Gallery, San Pablo, CA
2021 — Acknowledge the Shadow, Seven Mirrors Gallery, Oakland, CA
2021 — Pandemania, Manna Gallery, Oakland, CA (Solo)
2019 — Recent Works, 3 Door Gallery, 1890 Bryant Street Studios, San Francisco, CA
2016 — Suspended in Time, Manna Gallery, Oakland, CA
2016 — Solo Exhibition, Changsha Normal University, Changsha, China
2016 — Xiaoxiang Exhibition of International Printmaking, Mei Lun Gallery, Hunan Fine Art Institute, Changsha, China
2012 — A Chance to Play, San Pablo Art Gallery, San Pablo, CA
2008 — Sueños Mensajeros / Dream Messengers, NoneSuch Space Gallery, Oakland, CA
2007 — Painting & Prints, Coast to Coast Fine Arts, Sargentville, ME
2002 — Transformations, Diablo Valley College Library, Pleasant Hill, CA
1990 — Recent Work, Sandy Carson Gallery, Denver, CO
1987 — Emerging Artist Exhibit (Juried), San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 — The Edge of Possible (Annual Juried Exhibition), Gallery Route One, Point Reyes, CA
2025 — 111th Membership Exhibit, California Society of Printmakers, Piedmont Art Center, Piedmont, CA
2024 — Perspectives/SF: The Artists of 1890 Bryant Street Studios, Sausalito Art Center, Sausalito, CA
2024 — Resonance in Print, Sonoma Community Center, Sonoma, CA
2024 — CODEX International Book Fair, Oakland, CA
2024 — 3 Door Gallery, 1890 Bryant Street Studios, San Francisco, CA
2023 — Art of the Book 2023, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2023 — 48 Pillars, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 — Small Plates, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA
2023 — About Printmaking, Curated by the Sea, Santa Cruz, CA
2023 — Printed and Stitched, Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
2023 — Dreams, 23 Sandy Gallery, Collins Memorial Library, Tacoma, WA
2023 — 3 Door Gallery, 1890 Bryant Street Studios, San Francisco, CA
2022 — Four Squared, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2022 — CODEX International Book Fair, Richmond, CA
2020 — Adaptation: Artists’ Books for a Changing Environment, Environmental Design Library, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
2020 — 108th Membership Exhibit, California Society of Printmakers, Piedmont Art Center, Piedmont, CA
2020 — First Impressions, Davis Art Center, Davis, CA
2018 — Climart Exhibition (Juried), Academy of Art Galleries, San Francisco, CA
2018 — Thinking Out of the Frame (Juried), NUMU Museum, Los Gatos, CA
2017 — Book Jam, Palo Alto, CA
2017 — Annual Membership Show, California Society of Printmakers, Piedmont Art Center, Piedmont, CA
2017 — Art of Letter, Word and Book, Noyo Printworks, Mendocino, CA
2017 — CODEX 6 International Book Fair, Richmond, CA
2017 — Contemporary Prints, School of Fine Arts, Cusco, Peru
2017 — Mirrored Images, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA
2017 — Beneath the Surface, Davis Art Center, Davis, CA
2016 — Book Jam, Palo Alto, CA
2016 — Annual Membership Show, California Society of Printmakers, Piedmont Art Center, Piedmont, CA
2016 — California Society of Printmakers (Juror: Karen Kunc), Isabelle Percy Gallery, CCA, Oakland, CA
2016 — Look! Book Arts, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2015 — Art of Letter, Word and Book, Noyo Printworks, Mendocino, CA
2015 — Under Pressure: Printmaking in Modern Times, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2015 — CODEX V International Book Fair, Richmond, CA
2015 — California Society of Printmakers 101st Annual Show
2014 — Redefining the Multiple, Gary Francis Fine Art Gallery, Alameda, CA
2014 — California Centered: Printmaking Exhibition, Merced Arts Council, Merced, CA
2014 — Roadworks 2014, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA
2012 — California Society of Printmakers 99th Annual Members Exhibition, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA
2011 — Alphabet Soup (Juried), O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA
2011 — Bay Area Women Artists (Juried), O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA
2011 — Unspeakable: A National Exhibition of Book Art (Juried), Corvallis, OR
2011 — Light and Dark: Selections by Enrique Chagoya from the California Society of Printmakers, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
2011 — Bookworks 2011, Pacific Center for the Book Arts, Skylight Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 — Bibliophoria II: Art of the Book (National Juried Exhibition), Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA
2010 — Unbound: A National Exhibition of Book Art, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2010 — Book Jam, Foothill College, Los Altos, CA
2010 — California Society of Printmakers 97th Annual Membership Show, Thoreau Gallery, Presidio, San Francisco, CA
2010 — California Printing from Perception, Adobe Gallery, Hayward, CA
2010 — Edible Art (Artists of Edible East Bay), Women’s Cancer Research Center, Oakland, CA
2009 — ellibrysuslecturas, Concha Pedrosa Gallery, Sevilla, Spain
2009 — CODEX, University of California, Berkeley, CA
2009 — Today: Seen Through the Artist’s Eye, George Rivera–Triton Museum, College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
2008 — Systems of Sharing: Below the Surface, California Society of Printmakers, Bay Model, Sausalito, CA
2008 — Book Forms, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
2008 — Salud, Women’s Cancer Research Center, Oakland, CA
2008 — Bookworks 2008, Pacific Center for the Book Arts, San Francisco Public Library, Skylight Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2008 — ProArts East Bay Open Studio Exhibition, ProArts Gallery, Oakland, CA
2008 — To Honor Teaching, Solano Community College, Fairfield, CA
2008 — Forces Unseen, Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, CO
2008 — Sit Down & Read: Book Art Show, K Gallery, Alameda, CA
2003 — Reader’s Art 8: Handmade with Care, Susan Hensel Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2003 — Bytes & Pieces, Institute of Contemporary Art, San José, CA
2003 — Monotype Marathon IX, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
2002 — Amanecer de Mujeres, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2002 — MACLA Auction, MACLA, San Jose, CA
2000 — Salon des ICA 2000, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
1991–2005 — Annual Faculty Show, DVC Art Gallery, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
1996 — Group Show, Sandy Carson Gallery, Denver, CO
1992 — Three Artists, Sandy Carson Gallery, Denver, CO
1992 — Town & Country, Gallery Concord, Concord, CA
1990 — Diablo Country, Banaker Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
1990 — Slopes of Diablo II, Contra Costa Times Building, Concord, CA
1989 — Landscape: Five Views, Banaker Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
1989 — The Outdoor Conservancy, Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
1988 — New Work from the Bay Area, Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, Boulder, CO
1988 — California Landscapes, West Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1986 — M.F.A. Exhibition, University Art Museum, Berkeley, CA
1986 — Berkeley Graduate Exhibition, U.C. Development Office, Los Angeles, CA
1986 — Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
1986 — Prize Exhibition, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1986 — Recent Work, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1985 — M.A. Degree Show, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1985 — Art Prize Winners Exhibition, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1985 — Davis Memorial Union Art Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA
1983 — Bay Area / Australian ’83 Printmaking Exchange Exhibit, Melbourne, Australia
1982 — Prize Exhibition, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA

INVITATIONALS
2027 — Yuma Art Symposium, Presenter, Yuma, AZ
2024 — Four Squared, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2024 — Faculty Emeritus Exhibit, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
2023 — 5th Annual Bay Area Art Stars, Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (Mentorship Event)
2023 — Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2023 — Small Plates, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA (Edition of 100 Books)
2023 — About Printmaking, Curated by the Sea, Santa Cruz, CA
2023 — 48 Pillars, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2022 — Four Squared, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2016 — Street Printing Festival, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA
2014 — Roadworks 2014, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA

ARTIST TALKS
2024 — American Bookbinders Museum Webinar, Talk/Demo, San Francisco, CA
2023 — Resonance in Print, Sonoma Community Center, Sonoma, CA
2023 — Faculty Senate, California College of the Arts
2023 — 48 Pillars, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 — About Printmaking, Curated by the Sea, Santa Cruz, CA
2023 — Annual Meeting, California Society of Printmakers
2023 — Small Plates, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA
2022 — San Leandro Community Art Center, San Leandro, CA
2016 — School of Education, Changsha University, Changsha, China

RESIDENCIES
2023 — In Cahoots Residency, Petaluma, CA (California Society of Printmakers)
2018 — Playa Residency, Summer Lake, OR
2017 — Dan Weldon Printmaking, School of Fine Arts, Cusco, Peru
2014 — Sevshoon Printmaking, Olympic Peninsula, WA

PUBLICATIONS
2023 — “Paper doesn’t have to be Flat,” California Society of Printmakers Journal

COMMISSIONS
1987 — Pierre Laclede Center, St. Louis, MO

AWARDS
2023 — John Sheridan Prize: Regional Bay Area, First Place (Printmaking); Honorable Mention (Experimental Art)
2022 — Teacher of the Year (Nominee), First Year Program, California College of the Arts
2019 — Teacher of the Year (Nominee), First Year Program, California College of the Arts
1986 — Maybelle Toombs Award, University of California, Berkeley
1985 — Maybelle Toombs Award, University of California, Berkeley
1982 — Torch and Shield Award, University of California, Berkeley
1982 — Tevis Jacob Award, University of California, Berkeley

TEACHING
2013–2024 — Printmaking and Core Classes, California College of the Arts
2023 — Printmaking, California State University East Bay, Hayward, CA
2015 — Printmaking; Prinstallation, Changsha Normal University, Changsha, China
2015 — Reduction Block Workshop, Changsha Normal University, Changsha, China
2013–2022 — First Year Program, California College of the Arts
2012 — Printmaking, Mills College, Oakland, CA
2012 — Printmaking Instructor, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
2009–2011 — Teaching Assistant, Book Art Program, Mills College, Oakland, CA
2002–2003 — Chairperson, Department of Art, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
1991–2006 — Drawing, Printmaking & Painting Instructor, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
1990–1991 — Drawing Instructor, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
1990 — Painting Instructor, Los Medanos College, Pittsburg, CA
1990 — Painting Instructor, Sierra Club, Donner Pass, CA
1986 — Printmaking Instructor, ASUC Studio, University of California, Berkeley

BIBLIOGRAPHY
2024 — Four Squared, Catalog, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 — Art of the Book, Catalog, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2023 — 48 Pillars, Catalog, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2022 — Books on Books (Curated by Robert Bolick); Four Squared, Catalog, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2022 — Adaptation: Artist’s Books for a Changing Environment
2015 — Collection of Works of Xiaoxiang Exhibition of International Printmaking, Meilun Art Gallery of Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House
2013 — 500 Handmade Books, Volume 2 (Juror: Julie Chen), Lark
2012 — Thread Loves Paper / Contemporary Artist Books, Emily Marks
2008 — “Exhibitions, Books & Events,” Contemporary Impressions: The Journal of the American Print Alliance, Vol. 16, No. 2
2008 — Sueños Mensajeros / Dream Messengers, San Francisco Chronicle, 96 Hours, Nov 13, 2008
2002 — College Profiles, Video Interview, Contra Costa Public Access Channel
1990 — Selected Slopes of Diablo II’s Artists, Video Interview
1990 — Slopes of Diablo II (Catalog), Valley Art Center, Walnut Creek, CA
1990 — Fowler, Carol, “Exhibit Artfully Views Mt. Diablo,” Contra Costa Times, Nov 15, 1990

AFFILIATIONS
2024 — Mentor, Northern California Women’s Caucus for the Arts (Mentorship Program)
2015–2018 — President, California Society of Printmakers

All work, when done with love and compassion, becomes a bridge to our shared humanity, bringing joy and light to life’s daily challenges.
— Luz Marina Ruiz
Artist
All work, when done with love and compassion, becomes a bridge to our shared humanity, bringing joy and light to life’s daily challenges.
— Luz Marina Ruiz
Artist

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Arrow VIEW ALL
{

Cedric VU

Textile Artist
French-Vietnamese

Cedric Vu (b. 1996) is a French-Vietnamese contemporary visual artist born and raised in San Jose, California. From 2014 to 2023, he lived in Los Angeles, where he studied filmmaking, worked as a dancer, and held a range of production roles in film and...

{

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French-American

Christiane Corcelle is a French-American mixed media artist based in Massachusetts. Her intuitive, layered practice spans painting, printmaking, collage, and de-collage, building richly textured surfaces that invite close exploration. Guided by curiosity and...

{

Rinat Goren

Encaustic Artist
Israeli-American

Born and raised in Israel and now based in Silicon Valley, California, Rinat Goren creates abstract and figurative paintings that reflect her deep admiration for individuals who think critically and act with intention. Her work is inspired by the uniquely human...

{

Marc Zimmerman

Sculptor & Painter
American

Marc Zimmerman is an American painter and ceramic sculptor based in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, recognized for exuberant, color-driven works that fuse tropical imagery, figurative elements, and stylized botanical forms. Across both canvas and clay...