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Artist Bio

Lily Lih-ting Li Kostrzewa was born in Taiwan in 1965 and studied at National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei. After twenty-five years in Taiwan, she moved to the United States. Her formal education includes an MFA degree in Modern/Contemporary painting, MA degree in Computer Graphics, BFA degree in Chinese Art and Art Education teaching certificate. Her style of painting is lush, imaginative and cultural with simple brush strokes exhibiting complicated layers of colors. She has a deep concern for humanity, social justice, and a true love for nature. Through her sensibility she creates art to express the Life’s journey, human struggles, as well as the beauty of nature. Her color is from the influence of study German Expressionism and American Pop Art. Her ink-like brush strokes on her painting are deep rooted in her Chinese culture and the years of training in Chinese Art. She hopes to bring her Chinese Art perspective to modern painting and marry them into a cross-cultural uniqueness.

Lily’s paintings have been exhibited in 30+ solos and many group exhibitions internationally, including those at the Tokyo Narita International Airport Gallery, Japan; Uffizi Gallery Museum, Italy; Miami Art Basel; Angel Orensanz Foundation, NYC; Biennial of Rome and Biennial of Brenta Riviera, Venice, Italy; Zhou B Art Center, Chicago; Michigan Women’s Historical Museum; Old Town Art Center Chicago; Saginaw Art Museum, Michigan; The DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Odessa Art Museum, Ukraine; the Historical Museum of Infantry, Rome, Italy; UNESCO Art Gallery, Athens, Greece; Gallery Metanoia, Paris, France, Galleria d’arte, Pescara, Italy, the Shanghai Art Fair, China, Art Busan Fair in South Korea, Busan, Korea, and the NauArt Center, Barcelona, Spain.

She has created paintings and design for private and public settings for many individuals, businesses and organizations. Lily has taught painting, design and workshops in colleges, public schools and community art centers, including Lake Forest College, IL, Central Michigan University, MI, Marywood University, PA, and Kendall College of Art and Design, MI. 

Many of her artwork has been published including such books as Perch Journal of Yale University, Contemporanei nella citta degli UFFIZI, International Contemporary Art, Artisti a Palazzo Ximenes, Italy (2016), Vanguard Visionaries: the Art of Creativity, NYC, NY, USA, Ruian Cultural Biography, Ruian, China (2015) Con Corso Buenos Aires VI Edizione, Milano, Italy, Identity, The Women's Caucus for Art, US, Equilibrium: Art for a Changing World, The Women's Caucus for Art, US (2014) Women’s Rights: An Artist’s Perspective, United Women Org., Birmingham, MI, Effetto Arte: artisti a cura di vittorio Sgarbi, Rome, Italy, I Segnalati a cura di Salvatore Russo, Italy, Studio Visit Magazine, Boston, MA, USA (2013), the International Dictionary of Artists, NY, USA (2012), the Art in America Annual Guide, NY, USA (2012), International Contemporary artists, NY, USA (2010), Open Studio Magazine, Boston, MA, USA (2012), Worlds of Art magazine, Toronto, Canada (2011, 2012) as well as online at Chicago Art Magazine, Chicago, IL, USA (2011).

Meet-the-Artist:

Since I was nine years old, I have dreamed about being an artist. I remember one day I saw some Cézanne paintings in one of my father’s magazines, I soon copied them with watercolor on paper. A love for art has ever since become my devotion. At the age of twelve, my parents sent me to learn traditional Chinese painting from a Chinese master and this continued for the next six years. At the age of sixteen, I began learning oil painting and did many portrait paintings for my family and friends.

After receiving my fine art degree and a teaching degree from National Taiwan Normal University, I taught art in junior high school for three years also served as an art education director of the thirteen junior high schools in my school district. In 1990 I received an opportunity to come to Ohio State University to study. Eventually, I went on to receive my MA degree in Computer Graphics and MFA degree in Painting from Central Michigan University. For years I have worked as a computer artist, designer, and art professor in both industrial and academic settings. Currently, I am a full-time commercial designer of three adult children as well as a professional artist with my own art studio in New York City.

In the early 1900, few pioneer Chinese artists went to Paris to study European modern art and they brought breaking changes in Chinese Art. I am hoping to bring some of my Chinese Art perspectives to modern painting and marry them into a cross-cultural uniqueness.

(Growing Pains, Mix Media on paper, 52"x27", second place award by Curator of New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York City)

(Yin and Yang, mixed media on paper, 65"x36")

(Your portfolio is an intriguing interpretation. I enjoy how you incorporate elements of Chinese Art into your work.

I especially like in the painting -Yin and Yang's background. I love the way how is monochromatic.

Your work is very strong and I look forward to seeing it progress even more.

-Guest Curator, Artists Wanted)

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