Debra attended Kendall School of Design for 2 years in illustration before changing direction to pursue fine art at Aquinas College majoring in painting with focus on figurative work.

During the time at Aquinas she began a career in high end furniture decorating known as Chinoiserie, raised and gilded oriental decorations. This spanned fifteen years with employment at John Widdicomb and Hekman Furniture where she managed the decorating department and trained the staff. The last ten years she worked as a freelance artist for LaBarge Mirrors in Holland MI painting market samples, custom mirrors and production work.

In 1990 Debra left the furniture field to pursue her own painting career full time. At that time she also created a line of seasonal, limited edition gilded hand decorated glass Christmas ornaments which she marketed through Michigan galleries.

Debra cites the works of Joaquin Sorolla, Anders Zorn, Mark Tobey, Hokusai, and Yoshida Hiroshi as having been a great influence in her work. Her paintings both in oil and soft pastel consist of figurative and landscape work reminiscent of American Impressionism. Interested in the emotive response to color and light her paintings generally reflect a specific time of day.

The orchard paintings evolved from having grown up with cherry orchards and a fascination with trees full of flowers which last usually less than a week. She has traveled around northern Michigan when the orchards are in bloom and painted countless field studies on location. Creating monoprints based on field studies has led to an investigation of composition that at times becomes more pattern oriented while at the same time depicting the 'real'.

The figurative series of people on beaches have been a response to the sumi brush work Debra has practiced for years. Influenced by the Japanese hanging scrolls known as kakemono-e with their unique spatial relationships she has replaced the calligraphy with the figure. Working with the human gesture and breaking many of the rules of composition found in traditional western painting Debra is working toward creating space that exists beyond the picture plane as well as a specific moment in time.

Debra has also illustrated Virginia Kroll's book "I wanted to know all about God", "I see the Moon" by Kathi Appelt, and most recently she has illustrated "My Freedom Trip" by Francis and Ginger Park, based on a true story of a child's escape from North Korea, published by Boyd's Mills Press. Debra has also illustrated book covers for Gloria Whelan's books published by Eerdman's Publishing Company. She also illustrates for Ladybug and Babybug magazines of the Cricket Magazine Group.

In 1989 Debra was elected to signature membership in the Pastel Society of America. She is also a member of the Gilder's Society promoting the use of the ancient craft of gold leaf work, both in oil and water gilding in contemporary art work. She works on commission on both new and restoration pieces.

In 1995 Debra was the recipient of American Artist Magazine's Emerging Artist award.

In 2001 was listed in "Who’s Who in America".