Maria Paula Suarez was born in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. Encouraged by her mother’s artistic nature, she was introduced to various plastic mediums such as pottery, craft art, and sculpture from a very young age. She obtained her BA in Visual Arts at Universidad Javeriana, where she further explored plastic as a medium. A certified illustrator by the School of Visual Art in New York, she has also completed a pedagogical course at Harvard’s Online University in learning and leadership. She now lives in New York City, where she is currently pursuing an MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Suarez’s works are categorized by her embroidered illustrations created with strong, vibrant colours. Inspired by her everyday life and her own healing path, she explores these mediums while creating an artwork or a series to build a bridge between the physical work and the idea that motivated it. Her works create a ‘blissful sense of completeness’ as for her, a thread is associated with the power of healing and the bold, bright colours illustrate the state of happiness. In her own words, “when we sew, we are healing, unifying, and repairing.”

Suarez is largely influenced by Beatriz Gonzalez, also a Colombian artist, Ed Ruscha and Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as by her own experiences. She translates her thoughts, desires, and emotions to art, wanting to make an impact on a person’s life through her images.