Estria is an internationally recognized muralist and the co-founder and Creative Director of The Estria Foundation (TEF) a nonprofit organization using art in public to transform communities and bring attention to important local issues. TEF creates innovative public art projects and education programs using art in public as a catalyst for community engagement.
Along with numerous mural commissions, Estria’s recent focus has been creating the WaterWrites international mural series and directing Estria Battle, the premier US urban art competition. His latest project, MeleMurals is a series of 20 murals across the Hawaiian Islands that connects stories, places, people, and ancestors.
Estria began painting in Hawaii in 1984 and has completed nearly 1,000 murals worldwide. He was an influential leader of the 1980s "Golden Age" of Writing in San Francisco, pioneered painting techniques, and was instrumental in the development of the stencil tip.
He has served the community through his cultural work for over 25 years.