Susan Hankoff Estrella

Designer • Artist • Free Spirit • Animal Lover • Spiritual Soul

I’ve loved art as far back as I can remember. One of my fave memories is the artwork I created in second grade where our lesson was to add fabric pieces to dress up a silhouette. I was hooked!

I studied Graphic Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art (I wanted to be a Drawing major, but it was not available – go figure!) and never looked back. I was a professional designer in the Washington, DC area for over two decades before moving to the beautiful barrier islands of the North Carolina’s Outer Banks. After almost 20 years working as a designer in North Carolina, my husband and I pulled up our Outer Banks roots and relocated to the Treasure Coast of Florida. I am now back on the beautiful Outer Banks and currently work on my new love, mixed media art.

From Graphics to Jewels and Then Some…

I got the jewelry bug by pure chance after a friend suggested I fill a slot in an introductory class. Months later, while searching for beads, I stumbled upon a shop that had tons of classes and felt like a kid in a candy store. Between the colors, textures and outlets for creativity, I could not resist. Thus, a new career was born.

After making jewelry for several years, I morphed into mixed media art. Both of these mediums allowed me to use my hands again (after doing graphics on the computer for so long, I missed that part of the process) and I found that it really sparked my creativity. I love putting together different textures and color combinations – it harkens back to the days of my absolute favorite college class, Color Theory. You will find that most of my pieces combine unusual color combinations and often reflect my artistic interpretation of our natural environment.

 

My gallery page is coming soon and will feature a small sampling of my artwork. I do not sell from this site, but my art can be found at SeaDragon/Yellowhouse Gallery in Duck, NC and at Rare Earth Gallery in Stuart, FL. I also participate in a variety of art shows in NC throughout the year. I hope you’ll get as much enjoyment out of my artwork as I have creating it.