Growing up on the beautiful island of Moloka’i on a pineapple plantation, Debbie’s artist journey began at the age of three. She often visited her god mother, Troy Tabor-Bourret, an artist in Honolulu. Troy was also a classical pianist graduating from Juilliard. Troy held and helped with shows at the Bishop Museum and the Honolulu Art Museum, with great enthusiasm. Troy was a huge influence on Debbie’s early paintings and drawings. Debbie’s parents also supported and loved many of her creations. Both parents grew up on Maui and had family there. This made the choice easy for Debbie to leave Moloka’i and attend Seabury Hall as a boarding student. There she faced struggles academically but persevered until she was on the honor roll her senior year along with receiving the award for creative art. She attended the University of Puget Sound in the pacific northwest and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art and a second degree in Business. Hawaii was always calling, Debbie married Jeff Grundhauser and raised two children Kimberly and Keoni Grundhauser along with working as a customer service agent at United Airlines. There she met many great friends and was able to provide the family with adventures throughout the world. 

Debbie has always been a watercolorist. A friend encouraged Debbie to paint in oils and shared her materials with her. The oils were so amazing to Debbie since they created more depth and luminous color. Debbie loved them and began taking workshops from local and mainland painters. She flew to several workshops in France, both Greverney and the South of France. Debbie has been juried into exhibitions at the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center and Art Maui at the Schaefer Gallery. Debbie has a home gallery and her work can also be purchased at By the Bay in Paia and the gift shop at the Hui No’eau Visual Arts. She also has cards at the tasting room at Maui Wine in Ulupalakua. The art journey continues for Debbie finding her travels and the movement of nature as inspiration. One of Debbie’s favorite quotes by Aristotle is, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”