Surface & Process

Each original begins as Susan J. Roche’s underwater photograph before being transformed through hand-applied layers of encaustic wax, oil paint, and pastel. Built upon a 1.5-inch cradled wood panel, the translucent wax allows light to gently enter the surface before reflecting back, creating remarkable depth and luminosity. As natural light changes throughout the day, subtle textures and hidden passages gradually emerge, making each viewing a different experience.

About the Work

Cyrene was a fierce huntress of Greek mythology, admired for her independence and uncommon strength. In this work, she turns away from the viewer, poised between concealment and revelation. The dark fall of her hair and the vivid markings across her back give the figure a private, self-possessed power beneath the softened water.