Manuela Strada is an Italian-born artist living in Charlotte, where she has resided now for 20 years. In Italy, she expressed herself through ceramics and earned numerous awards before moving to Germany where she embraced the popular decoupage and collage art movement and held courses at the Schenefeld Folk School for international students. 
 
Manuela's Italian passion shines through in her colorful creations in any medium, whether it's pastels, oils, or mixed media. In her landscape work series titled Remembering Italy and in her Italian Village series, she paints from memory and through her process she strives to include senses that cannot be fully seen but are felt by her and by her collectors. 

As she creates engaging abstract pieces, Manuela enjoys the mystery and the unexpected. She likens it to having a conversation with a piece; a dynamic bond with agreements and disagreements, excitement and frustration. For many of these engaging abstract pieces, viewers are drawn in by the shapes and colors and transition back and forth from reality to abstraction.

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Manuela is part of the supportive oncology department at Levine Cancer Institute where she works as an artist in residence in the healing art program. She leads weekly art classes and provides therapeutic art to patients, caregivers, and staff.