Monica De La Paz Valenzuela

Konaknitting Studio

Tapestry maker

Rolling out circles, shapes and lines

Monica combines traditional embroidery with modern tufting
Her pieces are made using local, recycled and vegan materials
She collaborates with other artisans to enrich her creative process

Monica De La Paz Valenzuela is a tapestry maker who specialises in sewing, weaving, tufting and rug making. She learned several textile and design techniques from different master artisans during her fashion design studies in Valparaíso in Chile. Monica has experimented with textile art, printmaking and woodworking, and continues to refine and adapt her skills in her ever-evolving craft. In 2000, she opened her first fashion design studio and shop, where she showcases garments that she creates and designs from scratch. When Monica moved to Barcelona, she rebuilt her practice from scratch and sought new spaces, resources and personal meaning. "Through my pieces, I aim to shed light on the value of time the creative process takes, the importance of technique and patience, and the joy found in making," she says.

Interview

What do you like most about your practice?: Tapestry making gives me freedom and offers me a wide range of possibilities. I go to new places, I make connections with other artists and I have my own personal space. I believe all these factors are essential for promoting creativity.
What life lesson have you learned from your craft?: Nature continues to teach me. It is a source of inspiration, a generator of resources and a place to find myself. I have also learned that listening to the desire to create is vital to preserve a person's emotional and mental well-being.
What are your sources of inspiration?: My primary source of inspiration is time and how different epochs affect creative processes, results and materials. Nature is a constant source of inspiration because it confronts me with what is essential. Its diversity and rhythm, beyond human control, teach me to perceive things more openly and receptively.
What aspect of your craft tends to surprise people?: The extensive creation time I require for each piece is one of the aspects that often surprises people.

Monica De La Paz Valenzuela is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2018