June 28, 2021 / artists,embroidery

The blossom of textile art with Maya Monica from Hoopies Art

Photo by Nuri
Photo by Nuri

Hello Monica, nice to meet you here in Bali, could you introduce yourself?

Hello nice to meet you too, My name is Maya Monica, I am a hand embroidery Artist, I quit my architectural job in 2017 to focus on my brand Hoopies Art. I create unique designs with beautiful bits from nature, add happiness and give miraculous messages. I want my artworks to have meaning and inspire my peers.

What pushed you into the world of embroidery?

When I was a kid, I loved using my hands for artsy purposes, my art teacher taught me about embroidery, I was in love with this craft. I felt peaceful, calm, and could take control of my emotions. I kept at it until I became an architect, unfortunately my expectation about having a happy adult life were ruined. This led me into depression until my mama suggested me to make embroidery as my full-time job. In 2017, I resigned and focused on Hoopies Art.

Your pieces are very floral and full of life, what influences you?

I love nature and I love flowers, this is why my pieces are very floral, my main focus are plants, fruits, and animals. I get my inspiration outside, I soak under the sun, enjoy my promenades, and fill my lungs with air and creativity, finally I apply my ideas on my sketchbook in my room. The most important things are to get out there and lay my sight on the elements around me, wild plants are my favorite.

Butterfly and flowers embroidery by Hoopies Art

Tell us about your process from conception to creation

Everything starts from a sketchbook, I first apply my ideas as light sketches for each conception, when I feel confident about my patterns, I pick the color palette for my embroidery, choosing the colors takes a very long time, I then choose the appropriate fabrics and apply my drawings on them, I am now ready to start stitching!

What do you think about the futur of embroidery?

It all started out 4 years ago, since then people still appreciate my work as it grows. I remember when Jack Ma, founder of Chinese e-commerce Alibaba, gave a speech on Ted Talks, his prevision is as the following, in the next 30 years, artificial intelligence will outpace human knowledge, leading to job loss.

We should teach our kids sport, music, painting - arts - to make sure to preserve our humanity. Everything we teach should make them different from machines. I believe automation cannot replicate creativity, history or feelings, which the artist pours into its work. You can spot machines from a distance and it might be beautiful, in the end, it will never trigger the same emotions as handmade crafts.

What is your favorite flower, why?

I love white roses because that's the first flower I got in my entire life, my papa gave it to me when I became the big sister, he took it from the hospital garden, and since then, I just wish to receive white roses.

Maya Monica from Hoopies Art

Admire Monica's embroidery on Instagram