Born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Kolstein can hardly remember a time when art was not foremost in her imagination; a box of Crayola crayons the doorway to expression. After high school, a brief foray into acting put artistic output on hold until the former proved disappointing. At Montclair State College in New Jersey, Kolstein began a new phase in her life dedicated to a career in the arts. It was here, under the tutelage of Carmen Cicero in painting and Jonathan Silver in art history, that she began to examine the psychological and historical references in art and to explore new avenues in her acrylic paintings on canvas.

The move from college to career involved a return to the theatre, but now as an administrator. At The Whole Theatre Company, Kolstein was assistant to the director of public relations and also did cover art for playbills. With the Pushcart Players, a children's traveling theatre group, Kolstein enjoyed a variety of duties while continuing to develop as an artist on her own.

From 1980 to 1987, Kolstein worked in Manhattan's garment center as a textile designer. Imagery was pulled from many sources including the picture collection at the New York Public Library. In a work studio on Fourteenth Street that was shared by numerous artists, Kolstein re-examined the life of the imagination in paintings and mixed media works which were exhibited in the trendy clubs and galleries that popped up in and around the East Village reborn as a seedy but stimulating mecca for artists and perfomers. Executed in a long narrow loft bereft of natural light, her figurative work was often a dark reflection of the night in which solitude became a recurring motif. A series of works on heavy rag paper once again brought the Crayolas into use. Starting with a layer of random colors, Kolstein prepared the picture plane with gold acrylic and gold oil stick. Images were alternately scratched out and drawn in on the rich surface while allowing the bright hues underneath to show through.

Trips that centered on European cultural destinations such as Paris, Arles, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Florence and Venice brought the masterpieces of the great museums into reality along with contemporary art showcased in galleries. Kolstein could appreciate the meticulous early Flemish painters as well as Giorgio di Chirico, Francis Bacon and Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz. An enduring fascination with the art of ancient Egypt persists to this day.

In 1987, on an equestrian vacation in Ireland, Kolstein was seriously injured in a road traffic accident which resulted in a lengthy rehabilitation and a permanent orthopedic disability. This was an unsettling episode in her life. Eventually able to resurrect her creativity, Kolstein was drawn to the cutting and pasting aspects of mixed media/collage using the materials she acquired at house and garage sales in the vicinity of Essex County, NJ. Due to physical limitations, her work became smaller in size. Concentrating almost exclusivly on collage, she embraced the deeply engaging constructions of Romare Beardon, Joseph Cornell, Ray Johnson and a host of others in this "fractured" genre.

Kolstein's collages appeared on the cover of The Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin and the Elton John Fanclub Calendar. Her work can be found in private and public collections. From 2000 - 2002, as part of the Collage/Assemblage Society, she exhibited in various group shows in New York City. In 2004, the Sister Kenny Foundation in Minneapolis, MN awarded her a "Best in Show" for her piece entitled, "Snake Lake." Kolstein is a member of ProArts, Jersey City, NJ.

Having resisted for years, Kolstein now utilizes the computer in her current body of work, digital photo art. Beginning with the purchase at auction of a vintage alabaster bust, Kolstein recognized the potential of this small but somehow magical statue. Other photographs taken at this time, depicting a pair of vintage candlesticks in the form of dancers and the shadows they cast on a wall have opened up a new artistic pathway. Some of these works have been chosen for exhibition at Bryn Mawr Rehab in Malvern, PA, the Jacklyn Kling Gallery and the George Segal Gallery in Upper Montclair, NJ.

Kolstein is also a poet, having begun to write later in life. Her poems have appeared in The Poetry of Place: North Jersey in Poetry and in Lips. Her poem "Byron" is slated for 2009 publication in The Newstead Abbey Byron Society Review. She is a member of the Byron Society of America and journeyed to St. Andrews, Scotland in 2008 for a conference on the romantic poet.

Kolstein lives and works in Guttenberg, NJ located on the edge of the Hudson River across from NYC. Attuned to circadian rhythms, she works mainly at night, with artificial light shining on her quirky, dream-like creations.