Reviews
"These are, quite simply, gorgeous works that evoke edges, borders, and the complexity of visual systems. The refusal of representation is matched by a suggestion of form and figure in each one of the works. Trauma and survival undergird the tensions in each composition. Foreground, background, horizontally and vertically, the muted frenzy of colors, all create a dissonant dialogue that speaks about working through, acknowledging, wrestling with, and moving on without a need to enclose. The lack of enclosure, either in a signifying system, a "style," or a set of historically determined forms, is an act of generosity and liberation." - Vermont College of Fine Arts.
"Thank you for daring to create something so unlike the rest of your work, it feels incredibly special to see that you captured me, as you say with a combination of precision and softness. I know it is abstract, but I felt beautiful and seen. I could trace those thin black lines, those lifelines, as I am calling them, over and over. Your words bolstered me as I prepared for my hearing, strong like a spider's web, but balanced with a soft finish. I am so grateful to you and the work you have done to help me, and so many on their path to healing. That softness is something new and precious to me, so the reminder in my painting will be with me always. The timing of it all, on top of everything, couldn't have been better. It feels like such an incredible gift to see where I started and where I am now, captured in my portrait." - Living Space: Portraits through Appreciative Inquiry participant.
"... [I] was most agreeably surprised by your luminous and serene Sunshine Woman. Congratulations on distilling all that beauty." - Living Space: Portraits through Appreciative Inquiry exhibit visitor.
"I am so grateful for this work and I am so excited to see my finished portrait. Your email brought tears as I had a massive breakthrough in therapy... and I hadn't been able to fully feel the weight of this shift and release it until now. Your art is a gift that continues to find me when I need it most. Thank you." Living Space: Portraits through Appreciative Inquiry participant.
"Your work was a real impetus for my own development and acceptance. I am grateful for you." - Living Space: Portraits through Appreciative Inquiry participant.
"Your work was a real impetus for my own development and acceptance. I am grateful for you." - Living Space: Portraits through Appreciative Inquiry participant.
"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." - The Times Argus
Materials
Stephanie offers original fine art in oil paint and etching ink on archival panel, linen, canvas, and paper. She uses professional grade, light-fast mediums, paints, etching inks and other materials from high quality producers.