When Rie Munoz first arrived in Juneau on the Canadian steamship Princess Louise in 1950, it was a beautiful, sunny day. "I suddenly had the inspiration ... instead of going back on the same boat, I'll see if I can get a job and stay here."

That same day she found a room for $5 a week and work with the Alaska Sunday Press. So began her lifelong journey through Alaska and into her unique style of watercolor painting.

Unlike her move to Juneau, her decision to paint came gradually. As a child she would be at home sketching when other kids were outside playing, but it was not until 1972 that she turned to painting full time.

While working at the Alaska State Museum, Munoz's nights were spent creating silkscreen and stencils at home. After an Anchorage gallery asked to display her work, Munoz decided to "make a go of art" - quitting her day job to concentrate on painting.

Inspired to capture the vibrancy of Alaskan life, Munoz rides freight boats and skiffs, sketching scenes of everyday life that she later transforms into lively paintings. "I used to paint the mountains, but there was no way I could do that justice because it was too magnificent, so I started to paint people," said Munoz.

Munoz's colorful and whimsical portrayals of Alaska's fishing industry and coastal lifestyle are often the subject of her work. Just as she found 54 years ago, the energy of the waterfront is still a source of inspiration and a reminder of why she calls Juneau home.

Munoz's work can be see at several Juneau galleries, including her own, the Rie Munoz Gallery in the valley.