Artist Bio

Maria Teresita (Maite) Nobo was born on Christmas Day in Havana, Cuba during the Cuban revolution. She is the daughter of Margarita Senra de Villavicencio, Queen of the Carnival 1957 and heir to the Villavicencio Marquis title granted by the King of Spain after the War of Reconquista against the Moors.  Nobo’s mother while pregnant with her became a political prisoner but was able to escape and went into hiding until Nobo was born.  Subsequently the family fled to New York City and settled in Manhattan.  Nobo’s formative years were spent in Manhattan and later in Queens, New York.  It was there where her passion for art, architecture and design began. 

The family later moved to Miami, FL where Nobo completed High School and University graduating Cum Laude gaining her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture from Florida International University in 1988.  She later married and had 2 children. Nobo went on to have a very successful career as an Interior Architect working for a prominent architectural firm as well as her own firm.  

Nobo is a self-taught artist.  She began painting at the age of 15 primarily as a vehicle to channel strong emotions that otherwise couldn’t be expressed.  In her early years she loved to experiment with charcoals, pastels and acrylic paint on pattern cardboard which was readily available from her stepfather’s design workshop.  She continued painting throughout her life and placed many works with collectors primarily through the high-end Interior Design industry.

Artist Statement

Nobo’s primary philosophy is to create a luxury piece of art that can relate to any nationality, color, race, religion, sex, etc.  She uses only her last name to remain androgynous, striving not be placed in any sort of societal “box” that the world has become so accustomed to doing. 

Nobo’s work touches on chapters and events of her life as well as messages she wants to convey only on canvas.  Her passionate love of nature, proportion, architecture, color, and simplicity are all inspiration for her work. Deep emotions experienced in her life are all revealed and delivered in a bold and powerful way. Nobo has achieved a high level of honesty in her life and work and has no apologies for her very raw and real expressions.  Her work is clean, direct and simple but with a dramatic purpose.  She paints primarily abstract, rich texture and in relief. 

Nobo views herself as an “art rebel” that refuses to use a brush as it limits the freedom to paint.  She chooses to use many unconventional products and construction materials to achieve unique colors, depth and texture.  She plans her work methodically, weeks and sometimes months in advance but allows the natural artistic process to happen if there is deviation from her methodology during the painting process.  There are many subliminal images that are inserted into each piece not easily apparent to the casual eye but can be discovered after thoughtful observation. 

Nobo has had an unconventional approach to her art work and is committed to life without fear and boundaries.  She makes it a point to limit her exposure to others artist’s work and comments from the community as she does not want anything to influence the creative process.  Ultimately her work is made to be timeless and edgy but yet classic always enhancing any setting.