I work in a variety of disciplines including sculpture, printmaking and collage. Each method that I inhabit reflects a different aspect of my creative temperament. My abstract sculptural compositions explore materials and themes of fear and curiosity from a personal perspective. When working in printmaking and collage, I am motivated by a sensitivity toward intimacy, composition, structure and the tension between visual objects. I make art to search through and understand my emotional strata. Working is a survival mechanism for me, a necessity of life. Discovering and learning along the way, I'm driven to find balance and understanding both in the visual and physical sense. My psyche and the environment I live in, rural farm country semi-wilderness, are constant participants in my work. Rocks, metal, wood, nails and traditional art materials all have a seat at my studio table. When I am working, these emotional and material components converge in the form of abstraction. My intent is to present an invitation for curiosity, contemplation and connection.

Kristen DeFontes (b.1980, Port Jefferson, NY) is a visual artist based in Schoharie County, NY. DeFontes earned her BFA from the State University of New York at Purchase College with a concentration in printmaking and sculpture. While at Purchase she worked in exhibitions at the Neuberger Museum of Art. At the Neuberger, she was attuned to works by the New York School artists, an experience which had an indelible influence on her own work. After graduating from Purchase, she relocated to Brooklyn, NY and earned her MA at CUNY Brooklyn College where she studied under legendary artist, Elizabeth Murray. From Murray, she learned how to work in an exploratory fashion, break down her self imposed boundaries and gained a greater sense of confidence to pursue her artistic journey. 

In 2021 she was awarded the NYSCA Schoharie County CREATE Individual Artist Grant. Her work is part of the permanent collection at George Landis Arboretum and she has had recent solo exhibitions at CREATE Catskill Gallery (2020) and The Grosvenor Gallery, SUNY Cobleskill (2019). In 2020, she was a featured artist at Hudson Arts Community on Instagram. Her work has also been part of several group exhibitions at spaces including, The Re Institute (2020), The Katonah Museum of Art, Mark Borghi Fine Art (2018), Saratoga Arts (2024) and Albany Center Gallery (2024).

@kristendefontes

kprinter02@gmail.com