I grew up in Los Angeles in a family of artists. (My father, Edward Reep, was a nationally renowned watercolorist with paintings hanging in museums across the country, as well as a World War II combat artist, with works in the Pentagon and the Smithsonian. My mother, Pat Reep, was a well-known quilter.) After living in Northern California, North Carolina, Virginia and Morocco, my husband and I settled in Bakersfield, CA for 40 years before moving to Wilsonville, Oregon. I’ve been married for 53 years and have three children and ten grandchildren. After retiring from teaching seventh-grade, I’ve been able to focus solely on my art.

I realized early-on that photography would be my medium. My training was not formal: I learned to “see” from growing up with art all around me and from listening to artists. I asked for my first camera when I was seven, and I’ve been taking pictures ever since.

My primary subject matter has gravitated over the years to travel and nature in all its aspects because I am a documentarian at heart. However, collage has taken center stage over the last five years or so, using my own photos as collage material, and working both digitally and using the analog, or cut and paste method. It’s been interesting to experiment with making statements about the world around me. Sometimes I’m not sure what the statements are going to be – the images sort of find their own way until the meaning emerges. It’s challenging, frustrating, and great fun.