After taking photography courses at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the mid-1970s, Deborah switched to business. It was a difficult decision, but that's where jobs could be found during those recessionary times. She spent over 20 years working in accounting and business management. All the while, the right side of her brain was begging for exercise.
Deborah purchased her first computer in 1982. It didn't have a hard drive, but sported a color monitor, a light pen and a whopping 128K (not MB!) of RAM. Amid accounting, tax and spreadsheet applications, she learned to create basic computer graphics and rudimentary animation; primitive indeed, by today's standards, but new and quite exciting back then.
Well, that was several computers and a long time ago. Deborah is still learning, and in recent years she's been combining her photography skills with computer graphics. She uses a variety of photographic and digital techniques when creating her prints. The result might be quite painterly with distinct brush strokes, completely true-to-life, or somewhere in between.
There's currently a bit of controversy and confusion regarding digital artwork. Deborah's prints are not reproductions of existing paintings, drawings or photographs. Perhaps it could be argued that her "original" is a computer file; however, that file must be executed to become visual. Therefore, each of Deborah's images is an original digital print. When describing her prints, she prefers to avoid the term "giclée" because it typically refers to digital reproductions.
Deborah prints her images using pigment inks and archival watercolor or photographic papers. In addition to the lacrosse prints featured on this website, her subjects include Maryland scenes, island locations and underwater critters she photographs while SCUBA diving and snorkeling.
In the spring of 2002, Deborah's print "Fogged In" was selected to appear in a national juried exhibit called "Headed for the Future." Held at the St. Louis Artists' Guild, this show explored the transition from traditional photographic techniques to digital imaging. Jurors were Graham Nash and Mac Holbert, of Nash Editions. Her work has also appeared in juried exhibitions sponsored by the Maryland Federation of Art, the Capitol Arts Network, the Patuxent Art League and the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts.
