Monica Prado discovered the art of ceramics in 1979 while working with a relief team in the remote jungles of Chinaluta, Guatemala. She learned from the Indigenous people, who sourced their pink-hued clay from the river, adorned their handcrafted vessels with shapes inspired by the local flowers and birds, and fired in self-made wood-burning kilns. This early exposure instilled in Monica a lifelong love of working with clay.

Today, Monica works exclusively in porcelain. She uses the hand-building technique to create intricate detail, texture, and movement that cannot be replicated with any other method. Monica draws from intensified feelings of aliveness when immersed in nature. Her pieces celebrate the exuberant beauty of nature.

Monica received the City of Laguna Beach 2024 Artist Innovation Grant Award.  American Art Collectors Magazine, Laguna Beach Magazine, and MORE Architecture have featured Monica’s art in their publication