Monica Loya depicts the surreal side of everyday life

When you look at Monica Loya’s art, you’re probably first drawn to the cheerful and satisfying color palette—cherry pinks, baby blues, velvet greens, and soft beige tones. They are very satisfying and you may feel calm.

Then, you might start to notice strange things happening: a subject walking on clouds while a sparkling rose hovers next to them; someone biting into a bar of soap; a heel digging into a beer can with a rosary necklace dangling from their ankle; a dog chewing on a shoelace; or a cup of tea poured into your lap. Despite the light-hearted tone, it’s all a bit surreal and a bit unsettling – but in the best way.

Monica lives in Mexico City, grew up in Chihuahua, and started her career as a graphic designer and illustrator. However, like all creative types, she also has something a little more artistic – specifically painting.

About eight years ago, she decided to “go all in” and taught herself the ropes. Since then, she has worked as a painter, depicting the world as she sees it and communicating her ideas. “I’m mostly inspired by observation, introspection and a lot of overthinking,” she explains. “I’m constantly absorbing what’s around me and reflecting on my own inner world.” Dreams, irony, sarcasm and humor are also some of her favorite themes to deal with, and we can certainly see why. The combination of overthinking and humor gives her work a unique psychological impact.

But instead of depicting everyday scenes as they are, Monica likes to distort them – whether through an unusual color palette or by depicting scenes that would look strange in the real world. In “Holy Water,” for example, she painted a person in a cute blue dress dipping red heels into a pink bathtub, while a yellow rubber duck swam nearby.

Now let’s face it – the only reason anyone might do this is to clean their shoes when they can’t find a sponge and are ready to sneak out the door. But this is exactly what Monica wants to provoke. She wants to translate surreal ideas onto canvas, making viewers question their perceived reality. “I love how (holy water) turned out because the idea in my head translated almost exactly to the canvas,” she said. “I really enjoy the moments when a painting turns out to be exactly what I imagined it would be at first.”

Her process doesn’t follow any rules, either. Instead of insisting on a clear plan, Monica prefers to work intuitively and put whatever comes to mind onto the canvas. By doing so, she can become one with the brush – and this is where the magic really happens. “My creative process is very chaotic and unpredictable,” she says. “Most ideas come to me out of the blue, almost out of nowhere. I usually write them down in my notes app and then refer back to them to let the ideas evolve before I start painting.”

Next, Monica plans to begin a series of paintings about the “new” mortal sins and their manifestations in contemporary life. In 2008, the Vatican revisited sins to address modern globalization, updating the original list—pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth—to include sins such as environmental pollution, genetic manipulation, excessive accumulation of wealth, and the creation of poverty. Expect a surreal, colorful and very Monica-esque concept presentation. “I wanted to do thorough research and really take the time to develop the project,” she said.

This may be her most well-planned project yet, but most importantly, she hopes people find joy and connection in her work. “I’m not just conveying a specific message, I’m more interested in capturing and preserving a moment as honestly as possible.” And if that honesty happens to be wrapped in a pale blue sky and floating roses, so much the better.