NEW ARTIST | WELCOME...

A native of San Mateo, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, Roche grew up in a family of seven children and had art in his blood from an early age. A huge fan of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, playing sports and competing with his five brothers was a daily occurrence growing up. After breaking his leg at the age of eleven, unable to play sports for an extended period of time, drawing became an even more important part of his life. After graduating high school he attended the College of San Mateo, where he was fortunate to study art under Joe Price, a master serigraph artist in his own right, and the most passionate and intense instructor he had ever encountered. The fire lit by Price led Roche to Southern California to study art at California State University Long Beach. It was here when studying art history that Roche's art became influenced by the paintings and pastels of Edgar Degas, as well as the work of American artist Edward Hopper. It was not only the techniques and bold uses of light and color that fascinated Roche, but the everyday subjects they chose to paint. "People viewing my paintings may not know the people, or places I paint, but in reality they do, because they are scenes we see every day", says Roche. With a clear vision of the subject matter he would pursue, he continued to develop his drawing skills, and use of color under the keen eye, and tutelage of the highly respected instructor and artist Dick Oden.