Born in 1968 and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, Pochinski received her bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from the University of Hawaii in 1991. From the age of 17, she started spending long periods in Europe, particularly in London, Hamburg and Greece.

In 2003, she moved to Athens, where she earned a degree in interior architecture from AKTO College of Art and Design. In 2008, she had her first solo exhibition after her work was spotted in a friend’s home.

“Back In school, I knew I belonged in the painterly category; yet I dabbled in strange juxtapositions of textures and stylistic periods of art. One of my teachers pointed out that perhaps I was really only interested in ‘the mark.’ From then on, my pursuit was to get to a point inside myself where that ‘mark’ that my teacher was referring to was at its most profound. The act of painting became sort of a live performance. But I wanted my paintings to really sing rather than just carry a tune. I try not to over-explain my subject; I’m aiming for getting its essence,” I don’t want it to be a painting of the subject matter. I want it to be that subject.”

Pochinski moved from Greece to Sacramento in December 2010. The move has been a wealth of inspiration, opening up limitless new subject matter and sense of freedom.