I was born and raised in Southwestern Pennsylvania on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Second daughter to John Houck, a very talented artist and president of DeSales Advertising for four decades and Shirley, a very creative, well-read lady of character. It was my calling to become a chip off the blocks that brought me into this world and discover my own imaginative artistry.

Early on in my career, I spent life behind an old Pentax KX, capturing landscapes as well as other memories for friends but also for profit. I found I had a special knack for seeing things others did not and would work along side renowned photographers in Pittsburgh doing advertising, weddings and product shots. My curiosity expanded into the darkroom as a black & white technician to further my career in the industry.

As the computer age crept into the workplace, my interest was peaked in learning the desktop publishing field in putting images, text and graphics to play in many a print publication. My love for software programs like Photoshop expanded my ability to create all that my imagination was trying to exhibit. What started out as simple retouching and color correction developed more into an art form.

An opportunity to expand my horizons with multimedia helped broaden my abilities as I became exposed to animation and video and then on to the web.

My curiosity will never be satisfied in our fast-paced world of new innovations and technology advancements so my love of learning and discovery is on-going. I hope someday to be able to tap into other artistic realms outside of the computer but its lure is still strong and grabs my attention on a constant basis that it affords me little exposure to paints and ink.