Deborah has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Concordia University and a Dip. Ed in Visual Art from McGill University. She has taught senior Visual Arts at the secondary level In Ottawa for 30 years. She has also taught visual arts in Fogo Island Newfoundland and Inukjuak Quebec.
Her current work is influenced by the Canadian Shield, specifically focused on the Laurentian landscape. She is inspired by the Laurentian light and the rock formations that shape the shoreline. She takes photographs to work from as a reference. Her artworks are interpretations of how she experienced these specific places, or explores a particular visual element evoked by the features in the landscape.
She works in oils and acrylics, and the choice is dependent on the subject matter. In her future works, her intention is to keep refining and cropping aspects of the shoreline and reflections. Her artwork could be described as interpretive realism.
In addition to her interest in landscape, Deborah also produces numerous abstract works based on textural elements and the use of mixed media.