Photographer Mark Denman once said, “God creates the beauty. My camera and I are a witness.”

This is the very motto that Jim Thorpe photographer Desha Utsick lives by. It’s why she became a photographer.

Utsick is the artist of the month at Donerds Donuts, 76 Broadway, Jim Thorpe. Her photographs are on display during the month of September.

She was honored with an artist reception on Sept. 2.

It was in 2011 that Utsick first picked up a camera. After spending years battling addiction, she began to notice the beauty of the earth around her.

“I came to faith in God, and I made changes in my life after addiction,” Utsick said.

“When I started to appreciate everything, I wanted to capture everything. I just started to see the beauty of God in everything.”

The first things Utsick photographed?

“Nature. Whatever I could see. I love sunrises and sunsets. Now I do scenic, architecture, different places, different things. I try to capture some wildlife, I try to capture more intricate things. I like to try macrophotography.”

Utsick sells copies of her photos on the weekends at the Dreisbach House, 62 Broadway. She also sells the on her website, DeshaPhotos.com.

“It’s all about experiences, stories, hardships and strength, moments, and connecting,” she said. “It’s about appreciation. It’s about Light, and it’s about life.”

Utsick is a graduate of Moravian College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business management and a minor in English. She began speaking publicly about her story of addiction and other various issues, after feeling it is part of what she is meant to do. She is a certified life coach.

Donerds owners, Andrew Underwood and Annabel Fiduro, started offering space in their shop to showcase local artists’ work. Utsick is the ninth artist to display there.