Mónica Catalán

Visual Artist | Creative Facilitator
🌐 www.monacreativestudio.com
📍 Forest Grove, Oregon
✉️ monacreativestudio@icloud.com

Professional Profile

Mexican visual artist based in Oregon. My work explores the connection between emotional, symbolic, and natural realms through mixed media techniques, including digital illustration, alcohol inks, and intuitive creative processes. With over a decade of experience in the arts and cultural communication, I combine personal art practice with community-based projects that promote emotional wellbeing and inclusive access to the arts.
Earned with Distinction from UCLA Extension's Visual Arts program.

Education

  • Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Fine Art – in progress
    Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
    (Expected completion: 2027)

  • Certificate in Visual Arts and Communication, UCLA Extension, Los Angeles, CA
    Earned with Distinction

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Communication, Centro Cultural Universitario Justo Sierra, Mexico City.

Selected Exhibitions

  • Washington County Open Studios Tour 2025
    Patricia Reser Center for the Arts – The Lab, Beaverton, OR
    October 18–19, 2025
    Presented by the Washington County Art Alliance and the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.
    Participating artist in Artists Pop-Up at The Reser, featuring ten local artists sharing their work, process, and creative stories.

  • Hispanic Heritage Exhibition – Valley Art Gallery, Forest Grove, OR
    September 3 – October 31, 2025
    Group exhibition celebrating Hispanic heritage. Opening Reception: September 13, 2025.
    Eight artists featured in this cultural showcase of identity, color, and community.

  • 3rd Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition – City of Hillsboro & Cornelius Libraries
    October 2025
    Group show highlighting Latinx artists in Washington County.
    Presented a personal work reflecting cultural roots and artistic voice.

  • Mundo de las Mujeres – Milagro Theatre, Portland, OR
    March 2025
    Group exhibition honoring Women’s History Month and Latin American female perspectives.

  • Women’s History Month Group Show
    March 2025
    Celebrating the creative strength and diversity of women artists across Oregon.

  • KBOO Art Walk Exhibition – KBOO Community Radio, Portland, OR
    November 2024
    Art showcase connecting local visual artists with the Portland community through public radio spaces.

  • Portals – Currents Gallery, McMinnville, OR
    2024
    Juried group exhibition exploring the concept of transition, passage, and transformation.

  • Annual Artist Event – Valley Art Association, Forest Grove, OR
    2024
    Community-centered group exhibition highlighting regional artists.

  • Hispanic Heritage Art Showcase
    2024
    Collective exhibition celebrating Latin American culture and identity through visual storytelling.

  • 35x35: 200 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Mexico and the U.S.
    Los Angeles, CA – 2023
    Binational exhibition commemorating two centuries of cultural and diplomatic exchange.

  • The Stories We Tell – Valley Art Association, Forest Grove, OR
    2023
    Group exhibition exploring narrative and memory in contemporary art.

  • The Red Book Project – Women Salon L.A. & Japan
    Los Angeles, CA – 2020
    International collaborative project connecting women artists across continents through shared visual storytelling.

Community Projects & Collaborations

  • Hilanderos de Plata – Founder and coordinator of an art and resilience program designed for elders and underserved Hispanic communities.

  • Workshops with Adelante Mujeres, Centro Cultural, and Valley Art – Facilitated community art classes for children, women, and seniors.

  • Board Member and Affiliated artist, Valley Art Association (since 2023)

Professional Experience

  • Artist and Workshop Facilitator
    Leads private and community-based art classes in watercolor, digital illustration, intuitive art, portraiture, and collage.

  • Communications Department – Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles (2006–2021)
    Designed visual content, coordinated cultural events, and supported institutional communication serving the Mexican community in California.

Skills & Tools

  • Software: Procreate, Photoshop, Canva, Squarespace, iMovie

  • Languages: Spanish (native), English (advanced)

  • Basic photography, video recording, and editing for creative processes

Website & Social Media