Magdalena Arguelles was born in Iloilo City, Philippines and initially immigrated with her family to Canada, then to the United States in the late 1960s. After finishing pharmacy school, she studied painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as printmaking at Santa Reparata School of Art in Florence, Italy, Evanston Art Center in Evanston, Il and recently at Art Print Residence, Arenys de Munt, Spain.

Her paintings explore her memories of her childhood in Iloilo, City and how it shaped her as she assimilated into a new culture. These memories and impressions are incorporated within the context of the still life and the landscape. Visual impressions she has encountered throughout her travels and moments of daily life can also be seen throughout her work. She paints with water-based mediums, incorporating collage and printmaking techniques  to create the images within her paintings. Most recently, her focus has been creating collages using paper waste to create images.