Susan Estrella’s Mixed Media Wall Art And Boho Chic Jewelry Is Featured At Gifts Of The HeART Juried Art Show Sunday, November 6, 2022
Susan Hankoff Estrella‘s mixed media art gives viewers a sense of new-found joy as each detail comes into perspective! Susan creates assemblage artworks of varying sizes using all kinds of mixed media objects. She also brings a special Boho Chic vibe to her jewelry creations. Susan’s artwork can be found in several area galleries. She will be one of the featured artists at Temple Beth El Israel’s Gifts of the heART juried Art Show on Sunday, November 6, 2022. Admission and parking are free. Partial proceeds of sales will benefit the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office. The event includes a K9 Demo, Meet the K9 team, and the SLPO Tent of Engagement. The Rickie Report shares the details and some sneak peeks of Susan’s work.
551 Bethany Drive Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Free Admission Free Parking
Bake Sale Food Raffles
Meet the K9 Crew
Partial Benefit for St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office
Susan’s artistry brings a renewed sense of joy to viewers of her multi-media artworks.
Some say she’s a bright light or that she has a sparkling personality. An artist from as far back as she can remember, Susan Hankoff Estrella (yes, her last name means “star” in Spanish!!) spent her career as a sought-after graphic designer in Washington, DC for 22 years. She moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where she was the art director for a number of publications. She started playing with jewelry design on the side and that is where she really started to make her mark in the local arts community.
One-of-a-kind “Crayola Crazy” Bracelet by Susan Hankoff Estrella
Using unusual combinations of color and varying textures, Susan felt her creative spark grow. She began participating in local art shows and realized there was an entirely new artistic realm to explore – the world of three dimensions!! After almost two decades in NC, Susan and her husband, Mike, moved ever closer to his native Cuba and settled in Florida. She continued freelancing as a graphic designer, all the while still dabbling in jewelry making. Susan became an integral part of numerous wearable art galleries in Southeast FL, with her volunteer efforts and expertise in marketing enhancing her jewelry pieces.
Mixed media artwork, “Three Amigos” by Susan Hankoff Estrella
When Covid hit, Susan faced a series of stressful family situations and her creativity ground to a halt. The lack of creativity weighed on her, but several months into the isolation of the pandemic, she picked up a canvas, started playing…and a cardinal was born! Yes, a bird – an assemblage of paint, paper, fabric, yarn, feathers and jewelry pieces. Her burned out core was rekindled!
Mixed media artwork, “Heart, Herman Hesse” by Susan Hankoff Estrella
Since late 2020, Susan has been creating a multitude of mixed media pieces that allow her to reach deep into her inner creative being. From birds to flowers and trees to any inspiration from the world around her, Susan says, “I love the fact that mixed media is so freeing. Having spent so many years in a profession that required preciseness, measuring, straightening and lining up, this new medium was indeed a huge breakaway from the norm”. She gets lost in her art while she creates, and art lovers are the beneficiaries.
One-of-a-kind handmade bracelets by Susan Hankoff Estrella
Susan still plays with jewelry, but now incorporates many of the beads, gemstones and other components from her stash into her mixed media pieces. Always the collector of unusual things (good luck finding an artist who doesn’t do this), you’ll find some of those items in her pieces. Thinking of tossing that dryer sheet? Nope. Give it to Susan and she’ll put it in her art. Don’t throw away that netting from the fruit you purchased. She’ll use that too. Old keys? A perfect addition to her next piece.
“Sunflower” Mixed Media by Susan Hankoff Estrella
You’ll also discern some unheard of mixtures of patterns and texture in her pieces. She has collected handmade papers for years and incorporates pieces of them in her work. One of her most recent pieces, “Mimi’s Flowers” has leather flowers that used to adorn her mother’s shoes. Since her mom’s recent passing, Susan decided that using those flowers creatively would be a great way to keep the memory of her mom alive in a decidedly cheerful way.
You can see that this glittering light in the art world has taken so many paths and truly embraced her creativity. Susan proudly displays her work at Rare Earth Gallery in Stuart, FL, at The Craft Gallery in West Palm Beach, FL and at SeaDragon Gallery in Duck, NC.
You’ll find Susan’s work at the upcoming TBEI Art Show, Gifts of the HeART at Temple Beth El Israel in Port St. Lucie on November 6. Stop by and look for the radiating light in the room and you’ll find this star!
For more information about Susan Hankoff Estrella’s artwork and jewelry:
cactusdesignart.com