MARIA ESTRELA

mariaestrela.com
marialuis817@gmail.com

MARIA LUIS ESTRELA was born in Cascais, Portugal, and raised in a large extended family from Cape Verde, West Coast of Africa. Settling in Newark, NJ in 2002, she attended The Newark School of the Arts in 2008, where she met her mentor, Andrew Cohen, and further developed her interest in digital photography. Estrela’s photographs of nature and travel serve as an expression of self-healing, stillness, freedom, and a doorway to inner self.

Estrela’s interest in collage began in 2018 in a workshop led by artist Mansa Mussa. Since then, collage/mixed media have become a key element in Estrela’s work. Her collages seek to reunite women with nature by placing them in landscapes surrounded by found objects, and re-contextualizing their power, emphasizing the correlation between the beauty of nature and all women. 

Maria Estrela is a true artist, who inspires others both through her own work and through bringing the work of others to the public. Maria led efforts to organize the Washington Street art demonstration chalk event in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Armaud Arbery in 2020 and was a member of the Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Committee, helped bring the Broad Streets banner exhibition to Bloomfield in 2021, co-planned Bloomfield’s last two Fiesta Latina celebrations, and was a co-curator of Bloomfield’s first Black History Month and Women's History Month art exhibitions at the Bloomfield Civic Center. Through her own art, primarily photography and collage, Maria focuses on how she envisions women’s spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being changes through the seasons and explores the intersection of women’s current roles and past histories. 

For the past years, Maria had curated and co-curated several art shows at West Orange Arts Gallery and Pop Up Art Shows in local businesses. 

Estrela's current artistic focus is centered around her African roots. She hopes this work will inspire others to delve into their own family histories to bring about a stronger connection with self, culture, and custom.

Art for Sale

I’ll be seeing you
Mixed media
8 x 10 in

Am I Blue
Mixed media
8 x 10 in

Summertime
Mixed media
8 x 10 in

These Foolish Things
Mixed media
8 x 10 in