For the most part WHEN? is a self taught artist, although she has had the pleasure in her earlier years to be mentored or taught by some well regarded artists from her home area of North Metro Detroit. In her childhood years she was inspired by Helen Cunniff, a well known abstract artist and gallery owner. She jokingly says that her first "masterpiece" was at the age of two when she took Crayolas to the newly hung door of her family bathroom and drew large colorful spirals. She also jests that her first photo-art was when she was too close to the Polaroid camera flash and it washed out her features. It upset her so much that she made her father draw her a face. In her teens she studied with members of the Detroit Scarab Club, (of which she is now a member) and most notably her high school art teacher Elaine Wooden, graduate of the prestigious Detroit CCS. She also studied design and sculpture for a short time with Raymond Katz. It was Elaine Wooden that turned WHEN?'s direction towards studying photography. From 16 until the age of 23 WHEN? worked as a professional studio photographer. Although she attended collage for the arts she had to leave to attend to life. She married, and had a daughter. Finding that her daughter had severe disabilities she put her career on hold to stay at home and give her attention where it was needed. Along the road she went through many experience that have shaped her views and perceptions. Her previous work was very classic, naive monochrome. Now, going into her 40's she has returned to the art world and to a new photographic adventure with digital imagery. You may still find she plays with her vintage cameras and darkroom, but for the most part her photography has come into the new digital world.

WHEN? sees things very different. She doesn't discriminate the literal realm from the mystical. Sometimes WHEN?'s work is colorfully playful and abstract, other times it's moody, deeply thought out, or symbolically poignant. One thing is for certain, whatever image it is it came from a place of passion from her own life experiences. She works from the inside out and in the emotion she is at the moment. Her works are broad, ever changing and evolving, she doesn't like to be held to one specific style. You will find that she crosses over influences of all the other arts and imbues herself into her works. "UP A NARROW STAIRCASE" taken from a Broadway musical and a statement of her own childhood desire to be an artist, or "TALE OF THE MAGIC FISH" (MAGICAL FISH SERIES) which depicts a favorite children's moral tale, or her vibrant classical music abstract "VIVALDI'S AUTUMN".

'"I do what takes me over in the moment, to be anything else is against my nature. I think that is what true art is regardless if it is an oil painting, a dance, a song or a photograph. I think it needs to come from within. When I look at others works I look for that dwelling spirit of the maker, an understanding humanity and spirit, of knowledge and transcendence of the physical and technical. I tend to appreciate the quirky, kitsch and absurd more than a pretty picture "inspirational landscape" shot. If I do a rare landscape it is because I found something different in it. I am deeply honored when someone appreciates one of my works and I hope they see those attributes in my own images come through." - WHEN?

Recently WHEN? has been recognized for her NEON AMERICANA SERIES - ELEPHANT CAR WASH; circa 1951, which will be published in an anthology in the Spring of 2007. She has also been acknowledged by her peers in the photographic community for her DREAM WEAVER a portrait of an orbit weaver spider, and MIRROR, MIRROR, her night shot of Seattle's Experience Music Project Building and Space Needle.