I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California in painting and photography and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona in photography and drawing. Alongside my studio practice, I have worked in a variety of research settings, including the Getty Center and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I have also held a full-time position as a professor at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). 

In recent years, painting and drawing have been the central focus of my work. My work is nonobjective and does not attempt to replicate landscape in a literal sense. Instead, it seeks to distill the purest meaning and essence of nature.

Time spent immersed in nature—particularly through backpacking—has deeply shaped my artistic vision. I continue to chase the perfection of a particular experience in late spring, just above tree line, in the eastern Sierras. Surrounded by the vast and majestic landscape, I focused on the ground where snowmelt was creating small ponds and rivulets, bringing about the emergence of life. For me, these quiet details within this small and intimate ecosystem continue to hold the power of purity and perfection.

My work is quiet, requires time from the viewer, and strives for beauty.

Deanna