A master of poetic and metaphysical abstractionism, Kolte received a diploma in painting from Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay, in 1968. Initially, he freelanced as an illustrator, also working as a designer at Bombay Dyeing.

Kolte’s early works bore a strong influence of Paul Klee and his lyrical line. Like Klee, Kolte too found his inspiration in nature—he attempted to paint like nature, relying on his intuition as opposed to imitating nature or drawing from it.

His work is often dominated by a single hue, like a symphony in colour that hides and reveals layers, and in which architectural or landscape-related forms are sometimes discernible. He experimented with installation and performance art in the early 1980s.