Artist Statement

My giclee prints are the product of assemblage, digital photography
and computer manipulation. The female figure, represented in various guises,
is a vintage alabaster bust which has been altered with pastel, charcoal, gouache,
mesh, glass, lace or other materials. The images are printed with an R1900
Epson printer onto archival fine art papers.

The dreamy Victorian-era photographs of Julia Margaret Cameron provided
some of the inspiration for "Lilie;" the name carved into the base of the bust.
Years of material acquired from house, garage and estate sales and scanned into
the computer add to the composition. The old postcards, photos, pages torn
from books, etc. allow me to play with the notion of narrative and character.
But, I still do collage the old-fashioned way and attend life-drawing classes
for the pleasure of using traditional art materials.

 

Biography

B.A Montclair State College

From 1980 to 1987, Kolstein worked in Manhattan's garment center as a
texile designer. In a studio on Fourteenth Street that was shared by
numerous artists, Kolstein painted in acrylic on canvas and created mixed
media works on paper which were exhibited in the clubs and galleries that
popped up in and around the East Village. These figurative works, executed
in a long narrow loft bereft of natural light, were often a dark reflection of
the night in which solitude became a recurring motif.

Kolstein visited cultural destinations such as Paris, Arles, Amsterdam,
Brussels, London, Florence and Venice to see the masterpieces of art
in the great museums along with contemporary art showcased in
galleries. She could appreciate the meticulous early Flemish painters
as well as Giorgio di Chirico, Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz and the
art of ancient Egypt. (To name but a few!)

Having resisted for years, Kolstein now utilizes the computer in her current
body of work, digital composites. Beginning with the purchase at auction of
a vintage alabaster bust, Kolstein recognized the potential of this small but
expressive statue.

Kolstein's poems have appeared in The Poetry of Place: North Jersey in
Poetry, Lips and The Rutherford Red Wheelbarrow Volume 2. "Byron" was
published in The Newstead Abbey Byron Society Review. She is a member of
the Byron Society of America and went to St. Andrews, Scotland in 2008 for
a conference on the romantic poet.

Selected Exhibits and Awards

2009...George Segal Gallery, Art Connections 5, Upper Montclair, NJ
          ProArts , Drawing” group show @ Grace Church, Jersey City, NJ
          Hob'Art Holiday Show, group show, Hoboken, NJ
          Little Wonders, LITM group show, Jersey City, NJ
2008...Sawadee Restaurant, Jersey City, solo show, JC FRIDAYS participant
          Art Ability, Bryn Mawr Rehab Group Show, Malvern, PA
2007...Cathedral Arts Festival, Grace Church, Jersey City, NJ
2006...Artspace129, group show, Montclair, NJ
          Mana Fine Arts, group show, Jersey City, NJ
2005...Park Performing Arts Center “NoHu” group show, Union City, NJ
          ProArts group show, City Hall, Jersey City, New Jersey
          Remembrance & Renewal, group show, Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood, PA
2004...Sister Kenny Institute,*Best of Show* Int’l Group Show, Minneapolis, MN,
2003...Cathedral Arts Festival, Grace Church, Jersey City, NJ
          Artfirst! The Medical Center at Princeton, New Jersey
          Sunnyview Rehab Hospital, ViewPoint Gallery, Schenectady, NY
2002...VSA Arts of NJ, Dept.of Human Services, Trenton, NJ
          MossRehab Art Exhibit, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA
          New Century Artists, Collage/Assemblage Society ( C.A.S. ), NY,NY
2001...NEXUS Gallery “Honorable Mention,” NY,NY, (Collage/Assemblage Society)
          Passaic County Community College, Solo Exhibit, Paterson, NJ, (May2-June2)
          Grace Church Arts Festival, Jersey City, NJ
          “GLUE” (C.A.S.), @ New Century Artists, NY,NY
          Times Square Hotel Gallery,”Getting It Together” (C.A.S.), NY, NY
2000...Bryn Mawr Rehab, (Nov.’00-Jan’01), Malvern, PA
          Sister Kenny Institute, *First Prize Mixed Media* Minneapolis, MN
          Wilmer Jennings Gallery (C.A.S. group show), East 2nd.St, NY, NY
1999...Sister Kenny Institute, *Second Place Award-Mixed Media”
          Bryn Mawr Rehab, “Art Ability,” Honorable Mention + art purchased for permanent collection
1998...Bryn Mawr Rehab, “Art Ability” *Best Work on Canvas + Two Jurors Awards
          Polo Gallery, “Landscape Revisited,” Edgewater, NJ
1997...MossRehab, “Art Sails” ( juried group show), Phil., PA
1996...Third Biannual Student and Alumni Juried Show@ Westbeth Gallery, NY,NY
          (Montclair State University in Manhattan)

1995...Sister Kenny Institute, “28th Annual Art Show,” Second Place Award
          Polo Gallery, “The Storytellers,” Edgewater, NJ
1994...Blondies Art Gallery, group show, New York City
1993...MossRehab, Awarded 4 prizes incl.*Best in Show & *Juror’s Special Selection

PUBLICATIONS & COMMISSIONS

2001...Edgewater Arts Festival, design for lithograph, NJ
2001...Elton John Fan Club Calendar COVER ART
1998...Bryn Mawr Allumnae bulletin COVER ART
1989...The Star Ledger, Bloomfield Life, The Jewish News, Herald Tribune