By: Ashmar Mandou

Elsa Muñoz is reveling in a level of success not often experienced by such a young artist. The same can be said for the maturity and depth she exhibits through her soft and lifelike oil paintings. A graduate of American Academy of Art, Muñoz’s latest exhibition, “Still: Paintings for Blanca,” is a 13-piece solo show at Chicago’s Dubhe Carreno Gallery.

Muñoz reveals the exhibition as a personal tribute to her former American Academy of Art instructor and greatest inspiration, Blanca Lopez, who recently lost her battle with cancer on Christmas Day of 2011. “Blanca Lopez was my instructor and biggest cheerleader in school,” Muñoz explains. “She encouraged, inspired and educated me in ways that greatly helped me develop as an artist.”

Growing up in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Muñoz recalls what drew her to art. “I didn’t feel at home in my home. Gangs, drugs and violence were much more prominent then. I turned to books and then to art to create my own sense of peace. Art became a great escape and a place where I could create beauty and tranquility.”

Muñoz’s many accomplishments include having two other exhibitions already this year and four in 2011, including “Claro y Obscuro,” a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art – which she states is one of her greatest achievements to date. One of her pieces, “Drifting Sun,” is now part of the museum’s permanent collection. To view Muñoz’s latest exhibition visit the Dubhe Carreno Gallery, 118 N. Peoria St., on opening night Friday, April 6. The exhibition will run through May 26. To learn more about Elsa Muñoz, visit www.elsamunoz.com.