Artist Statement

I oil paint. I do some printmaking. I dabble with other curiosities. I find peace representing emotion and physical experiences abstractly through color, layers, and shape. This peace isn’t some wimpy pushover appeasement. It’s holding myself accountable for expressing complex emotional themes and offering visual resolution. For me, painting is testimony. It provides an alternative way to tell stories and to engage in the spirit of genuine curiosity.

There is a subset of viewers who instantly connect with my work. I’ve heard audible gasps. Sometimes they offer poignant tears or remain transfixed. They may tell me about a memory. A scent. A breeze. A sensation on skin. Sometimes, they have no words while they cautiously approach the surface of a painting to look more deeply into it. They point, follow a line, or broadly gesture. Some seek clarification about my intention - to confirm that the emotions and body memories they’re experiencing are valid. They are. These connections keep me returning to the studio; we are not alone.

I use my art to balance a need for creative expression and critical thinking. I’m an outgoing introvert who’s come to accept that I will overthink nearly everything. I’m self-conscious about using catch-words like “compassion” and “gratitude” but find the terms appropriate for myself and others that are establishing autonomy, healing, growing, and learning self-acceptance. Together, we create a community to support each other’s transformation.

Biography

Stephanie Kossmann was born in New Jersey and raised in a coastal town on the south shore of Massachusetts. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Geography and Studio Arts with high honors at Boston University and a graduate certificate in Positive Organization Development at Champlain College. After her undergraduate degree, she worked as a research analyst for a mapping company before taking a position with the United States Federal government based in Toronto, Ontario Canada. She transferred to Vermont and fulfilled a 20+ year career as a senior officer in fraud detection and national security while simultaneously nurturing her art practice in printmaking and oil painting. She returned to Canada as an immigrant in 2022 and is living and painting in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.

In the fall of 2022, Stephanie received a year of anonymous fiscal sponsorship administered through Burlington City Arts. In 2022, The Times Argus reviewed her show Living Space; Portraits through Appreciative Inquiry stating “Kossmann’s creative approaches are incredibly diverse. Some portraits evoke a sense of landscape, others draw the viewer to interaction of forms. Some burst with brilliant color and energy, others glow. Using a broad range of techniques, Kossmann builds and scrapes surfaces yielding remarkable textures and depth.”. She was featured as an Artist to Watch in the 2018 Vermont Art Guide and in Seven Days for the Sexual Violence Awareness Art Show. She provided the cover artwork for the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival’s tenth anniversary program and presented at Mercy Connections’ 2019 fundraising event.