Born in Canada, I came to Philadelphia to complete a residency in periodontics.  During 20 years of volunteer work as a docent with Art Goes to School, I began creating art of my own.  My experience as a dental surgeon has given me a good grasp of spatial interpretation and line and it honed a keen sense of observation.

After creating representational still-life and landscape paintings, my work has evolved in an abstract direction.  It seeks to elicit an emotional connection with the viewer and to ignite and engage their imagination.  My favorite medium is cold wax and oil.  It is an ancient medium where beeswax is added to oil paint. With cold wax and oil, painting is a spontaneous process of discovery, where multiple layers are often scraped back to reveal interesting surprises and textures.  This very intuitive form of painting allows for the creation of depth, transparency and luminosity and is very process-driven, keeping the work open to all possibilities. I also enjoy watercolor painting which I often incorporate in mixed media creations with oil and beeswax. 

My work is in the permanent collection of The Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, NM and in private collections in the US, Canada and Europe.  My work has been represented in juried shows locally, nationally and internationally. I have been a featured artist at Studioflora, the Easttown Library, The Great Frame Up and at the Galer Estate Winery.  I was invited to represent Pennsylvania at the 50 States/200 Artists show at the Museum of Encaustic Art. My work was recently featured on CTV news in Canada where it is presently in the gallery shop of the Timmins Museum and National Exhibition Center.

You can find me:

Instagram: @johannelamarche

Email: frenchgardener@comcast.net

At Studioflora , 712 Lancaster Ave, Berwyn, PA

The Members’ Gallery at the Museum of Encaustic Art, Santa Fe, NM, eainm.com

Online at The Five3 Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA, five3gallery.com

Commission inquiries welcomed.