The paintings of Rochana are unique, bringing a blend of Matisse-like decorative design and deliberate shallow space to Impressionistic California color. They are an amalgamation of her working and learning experiences as an artist in New York, England, the Continent and California.

Immersed in the tumultuous New York art world in the late sixties and seventies, Rochana honed her artistic skills at the Art Students League, while she was exposed to the color dynamics of Op Art and resurgence of subject in the Neo Realism which were the prevailing styles. During this period she enlarged her perspective on study and painting trips to London, Paris, the South of France and Rome. Availing herself of the rich Art heritage of the museums she realized an affinity with the French Impressionist use of color, the scumbling brush work of Monet, the shape definition of Gauguin, the internalization of the surrealists, the decorativeness of Bonnard and
Matisse, and lastly the integrity of the shallow picture planes of the "moderns".

There has been no plateau for Rochana to reach. The act of creativity is an evolutionary process, each painting a step to the next. Since her arrival in California she has continued to paint and study art, most recently at Monterey Peninsula College.

The current work of Rochana is an eloquent tapestry of all the threads of past work and study. Her subject matter is diverse--landscapes, portrait and still-life, but never is it about the subject, it is about the relationships of color and shape, their balance and harmony. This strength of design is most apparent in her still lives, more subtle in landscape. In addition to the skill with which she handles color and design, there is the presence in each painting of an all-pervading other life. They glow with a life of their own from the inside out, a surreal sensuousness. Her paintings catch the eye-- and don't let go. They consume the interest and introspection of the viewer. They are paintings to live with. Rochana resides in Carmel-by-the-Sea and is happy to continue her work in drawing, pastel and oils in her working studio/art gallery when she is not on location or painting tours.