Kristi W. Colbert
Kristi holds a B.A. in Geology and Art & Art History from Colgate University and a master’s in Leadership from Northeastern University, but she has always been an artist by passion and typically into the latest hours of the night, squeezing creative projects into every odd bit of free time between her prior work as a teacher, higher education administrator, and consultant in corporate and nonprofit leadership development. She likens art-making to oxygen, essential to her vitality; for her, it simultaneously serves as meditation, connection, escape, and restoration.
Serendipitously for Kristi, the pandemic brought a sudden shift in her career trajectory and presented with it a silver lining—the opportunity to pursue her art in earnest. Now working from her home studio in Leverett, MA, Kristi draws much of her inspiration from her immediate surroundings—country life in the Pioneer Valley with her wife and two young children. And while Kristi creates in many different mediums, her newest body of work is uniquely constructed through a two-step process: she first paints recycled paper with gouache, watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencil, then cuts and assembles these papers into collage landscapes. As she puts it, “working in this way allows me to deconstruct and then reconstruct the world in a way I experience as dually detailed and expressive, both painterly and sculptural. I find that the real magic of life exists in the many forms and textures that surround us. Through my work, I enjoy connecting with and elevating these currents of life that aren't always readily accessible to others.”