Rise Delmar Ochsner was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Tulane Medical School in New Orleans. While in med school, she had her first one woman art show, Ochsner practiced medicine in New Orleans for almost 20 years before retiring in 1985. In 1995, she moved to Santa Barbara to be a full time artist. Missing medicine, Ochsner went back to doctoring part-time in 2007 and moved back to New Orleans in 2013 to paint and practice.

Ochsner has painted life-size commissioned portraits for the Robert Mondavi Culinary Awards of Excellence; Mick Jagger; Queen Noor of Jordan; Chefs Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, and Julia Child,; and Carol Burnett's cat, Mabel. She enjoys painting figurative work, children, pets, motorcycles, and landscapes. Her loose style typifies the energy and fun that is Ochsner's work.