Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Crista began painting in oils in 1989 under the instruction of John Phillip Osborne at the Ridgewood Art Institute in Ridgewood, NJ. She graduated from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in 2000, receiving a Bachelors Degree of fine arts painting, and in 2003, received a Masters Degree of Fine arts Painting from the New York Academy Graduate School of Figurative Art. Crista paints landscapes mostly en plein air as well as in her studio in Nyack, NY, and is known for painting on a small scale. Influenced by the Hudson River School, she also loves the Macchiaioli, a group of Italian Painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. Some of her favorite artists are George Inness, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Martin Johnson Heade, and Edward Lear. Aside from participating in various plein air events throughout the year, she exhibits throughout New England and New York. She has received numerous awards and honors, including “Best in Show” at the Adirondack Plein Air Festival in both 2012 and 2014. Crista also won “Honorable Mention” at Plein Air Easton in 2015, 2016, 2021 as well as “Best Nocturne” in 2019 and 2021. She won three awards in 2019 at Plein Air Annapolis including second place overall and the “Stobart Foundation Award” at The Mystic Seaport International Marine exhibition 2019. In 2021 Crista won the “Petit Plein Air Artists Choice” at the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational. Plein Air Magazine had included Crista as one of their featured artists in their December/January 2016 issue. Aside from belonging to numerous art organizations and participating in various fund raising events throughout the year, Crista is represented by the following galleries: Sylvan Gallery Wiscasset Maine, BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburg Pennsylvania, Trippe Gallery, Easton Maryland