Darrell had a successful career as a Human Geneticist at McGill, McMaster, University of Ottawa and University of Alberta. She retired early in 2004 to pursue her interest in Visual Arts. In 2004-2005, she attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, Oregon and completed courses in photography, digital art and mosaics. She had a solo exhibition of photographs in the Pearl Art District, Portland, 'Synergistic Visions', in 2005.
Darrell moved to Comox in 2006. Over the next four years, she delighted in the beauty of the mountains and the sea, while completing a Diploma in Fine Arts at North Island College in 2010. She specialized in photography and printmaking. That year, she had a solo exhibition of photographs, 'Between Heaven and Earth', at Serious Coffee, Courtenay.