Like many people, I began with family snapshots and travel photos, but my real journey into photography started with scrapbooking. In 2007, while creating books to preserve family memories, I realized my images didn’t capture what I felt. That led me to enroll in a black-and-white film photography class at my local community college. The first time I watched an image emerge in the darkroom, I was hooked. From there, I dove into digital photography, Photoshop, and design courses, expanding both my skills and my sense of possibility.

At home, I became known as “PaprazDee”—the family documentarian who never set her camera down. That playful nickname signaled a deeper truth: I had found something I loved. What began with scrapbooks grew into a lifelong pursuit of art. Over the years, photography workshops and trips became part of my rhythm, gifts from my husband Rob that took me to places like Yosemite, Death Valley, Big Sur, Grand Canyon, the Arizona slot canyons, and eventually Iceland, New Zealand, and the Dolomites of Italy. Each experience stretched me creatively and gave me a chance to see the world with new eyes.

Before turning to art full-time, I built a career as a CPA, working in both large firms and smaller companies, where discipline and attention to detail were essential. At the same time, I was raising a family, volunteering, and building a life full of community. From teaching Sunday school and leading Cub Scouts to serving on parent boards and band committees, I poured energy into supporting others. Those years taught me patience, persistence, and the value of small, steady progress—qualities that now shape my artistic process.