About Colleen M. Rudolf

Biography:

Colleen Rudolf is a multi-media artist working in sculpture, drawing, painting, and photography. Born in 1981 in New York City, she earned her undergraduate degree in liberal studies from Skidmore College in 2003, with departmental honors in Fine Art. In 2008, she completed her MFA at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, refining her technical skills and earning credentials to teach art. During her time at PAFA, she was awarded the Fellowship Juried Prize honorable mention and the Justine Cretella Memorial Scholarship.

Now based in Cañon City, Colorado, Colleen is thrilled to explore the rugged landscapes, abundant wildlife, and endless outdoor opportunities the region offers. A passionate rock climber, she finds deep inspiration in the physical and mental challenges of the sport, which mirrors the problem-solving and presence required in her studio practice. Her time on the rock fosters an intimate relationship with place and ecology, reinforcing the themes of interconnection that run through her artwork.

Her practice includes creating 2D and 3D portraits for private clients, designing and executing large-scale wildlife drawings and sculptures, and employing fabrication techniques such as woodworking and metalworking. She has taught at various institutions, including Rowan College at Burlington County and Stockton University, both in NJ, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and continues to offer private lessons in a variety of mediums. Her commercial photography work can be found here.

Colleen’s work is installed privately and publicly throughout the northeast, and she has collaborated with several organizations to raise awareness and funding for wildlife conservation. In 2016, she became a recipient of the Don and Virginia Eckleberry Endowment. Passionate about collaboration, she believes art is an essential part of life and welcomes opportunities to connect with fellow creatives, conservationists, and collectors.

Please get in touch to learn more or discuss potential projects!  

Statement:

In an era defined by digital noise and programmed routines, the act of paying attention to the natural world is rebellious. My work investigates the space between the human and the non-human, specifically, how we perceive, categorize, and relate to the animal world. I am interested in the tension of our modern existence: we live caught between our biological instincts and our automated, machine driven habits. Through sculpture and making, I aim to disrupt this “autopilot,” demanding a return to physical presence and sensory awareness.

My practice is grounded in material intelligence. I work across a spectrum of media, from the permanence of cast bronze and the warmth of wood to the industrial ubiquity of concrete and the softness of charcoal. These choices are never purely aesthetic; they are driven by conceptual associations. In works like Pigeons, I juxtapose bronze, the medium of the monument, with concrete, the medium of the street, to challenge our systems of value and remembrance. By utilizing materials that carry a sense of history and endurance, I offer a deliberate contrast to the throwaway culture of the present.

Movement and stillness are both present in my work. Whether I am modeling clay from life or welding steel armatures, my process is one of thinking through making. It is a physically demanding practice that mirrors the themes of endurance and resilience found in my subject matter. It is a link to a long lineage of human makers who used their hands to regulate their experience and find meaning in their environment.

My engagement with rock climbing parallels my studio practice; both require intense focus, an intimate, tactile relationship with the earth, and an acceptance of risk. This connection to place has led me to explore how sculpture can function not just as an aesthetic object, but as an ecological intervention, a physical speed bump that repatterns our attention and bridges the gap between the viewer and their habitat.

Ultimately, my work is an invitation to stay curious and a reflection of my own search for connection. It asks the viewer to slow down and rewards a closer, more tactile engagement with the world.