Oresta, born in Ukraine, arrived in the United States in 1952. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Pratt Institute and being awarded a scholarship to attend the Schowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine she was selected to bring the first Graphic Arts exhibit from the United States to the former Soviet Union, along with artist Norman Rockwell and others.
In 1968 she designed large murals for the windows of Bergdorf Goodman in New York city. This exposure led to many other commissions by architects for public spaces and shopping malls. The interior designers for King Fahd of Saudi Arabia commissioned her to do work for the palace and King Fahd’s summer home in Jedda. Her work was also represented by Hanson Gallery on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and the Dassain Gallery in the Pacific Design Center, leading to numerous commissions from the entertainment world.
Oresta made an extended journey to Crete to “commune with nature.” There she made a deep connection with stone. This passion led to a large body of stone sculptures from slate that she has collected from different regions around Dutchess County.
“The slate inspired my personal vision. Putting the sculptures together has been effortless because it is uniquely my own language. There are no rules or restrictions. Just the stones that speak to me with the voice of the ancestors.”