Debra Hintz was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and discovered her affinity for art in early childhood. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Western Michigan University and moved to Los Angeles in 1985 to pursue a career in graphic design. While doing so, she came to the realization that fine art was still an equally vital and integral part of her life that could not be stifled.

While she moved forward in her graphic design career, Debra continued her fine art education at Mission: Renaissance where she studied for five years under Joe Severino. There, she learned the methods and skills of the Renaissance and Impressionist painters which gave her a strong traditional foundation in drawing and painting. Debra paints strictly in oils using palette knives and builds up many layers of paint on the canvas to create her unique style.

Debra's landscapes are not places seen in the natural world, but emotional, introverted places "Down from the shower'd halo, / Up from the mystic play of shadows twining and twisting as if they were alive".* Her strongest influences are Courbet, Cezanne, Degas, Inness, Monet, and Van Gogh.

Debra's work is held in private collections and has been shown in numerous juried exhibitions and group shows in Southern California and Arizona. She has won several awards and is a member of Women Painters West, the California Art Club, and the Valley Artists Guild where she also serves on the Board of Directors.