Rochelle Kahn is an abstract artist from South Africa, currently based in Kuala Lumpur. Rochelle’s expressive body of work has evolved into an intuitive, layered and playful exploration of color and texture in motion. The freedom within Rochelle’s art is an antidote to her restless mind. 

Rochelle’s career has spanned both medicine and the arts. Fascinated by the human body and healing, she began her career as a Medical Technologist, however, this was eclipsed by the desire to study Fashion Design – eventually beginning a couture business in South Africa.

Since 2001, Rochelle has been living as an expatriate throughout Asia. The relocation put her creative endeavors on the back-burner, and Rochelle returned to working in the medical field. Driven by her desire to be healthy and to help others she also became a certified Health Coach.

Rochelle’s creative endeavors emerged during her time in Malaysia and with no prior painting experience she attended a couple of online art courses to refine her skills.

Rochelle’s evolving art practice has been a process of learning to trust her instincts as new colors and texture organically emerge, layer by layer. Rochelle paints with acrylic & mixed media such as charcoal, oil pastels and watercolor pencils. She very rarely uses a paint brush, and utilizers various tools to slide, scrape & remove paint. Rochelle’s artwork is intuitive, driven by a direct impulse of thoughts, feelings and emotion, guided by instinct.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My creative inspiration is drawn from thoughts, emotions, feelings and sensations. I paint intuitively and the end result is achieved when a deeper sense tells me it’s done.

The very essence of my art is not what it is going to represent but rather in how it is going to affect the viewer. I want my paintings to pose a series of questions rather than having a clear-cut image of representation. A visual language in which no one word can capture. A timeless form of expression.

During my creative process I feel an intense blend of excitement, empowerment and connection. Some days I need the experience to be exhilarating and stimulating, and other days it needs to be soothing and comforting.