Branching out Yard art creator tries indoor painting, teaching

ENERGY, Ill. -- Denise Cripps said she knew she wanted to be an artist ever since she was a little girl.

"My father, who died of cancer when I was in the second grade, was an artist," Cripps said. "I grew up having access to art supplies and believe I have kept a part of him with me every day through my work."

In business for a little more than 13 years, Cripps designs and hand-paints signs for homeowners and businesses. Signs may celebrate Easter and Mother's Day in the spring, or Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in the fall and winter. She calls her enterprise Yard Art by Denise.

Some customers buy decorative pieces with a sports theme, such as signs for the St. Louis Cardinals or Chicago Cubs, and Cripps also has designed her share of garden signs.

But her work now centers on decorative indoor painting and teaching craft classes for children at her home. She said there's no greater reward than watching a youngster learn to appreciate art.

"When the project is done and it turns out the way he or she had hoped, it fills that child with great confidence," she said. "And if they're proud of what they've done, I know that we accomplished what we set out to do."

Doesn't seem like work

Lisa Smith of Marion says Cripps has been a wonderful influence on her children, Orion, 9, and Cayenne, 7.

"Some people have a gift for working and communicating with kids, and Denise is one of those," Smith said. "She looks at things from the kids' perspective. I know my two really look forward to seeing her at class each week."

Cripps said she enjoys going to work every day.

"I work anywhere from 40 to 60 hours per week, but many of those hours don't seem like work at all," she said. "I'm fortunate enough to have a fun job."

Cripps said she sometimes gets help from her family.

"My husband, Dennis, is a carpenter. He and my older son, Chad, cut the wood for the signs from designs I've drawn," she said. "My younger son, Travis, is responsible for sanding the wood. And my 8-year-old daughter, Emily, is a big help during the craft classes. She likes working on the projects and helps some of the other kids. I call her my little future artist."

Cripps said she expects to become more involved with teaching and decorative painting, and generally works on two to three houses a month, painting everything from children's rooms to living rooms.

"I really enjoy the decorative painting of rooms," Cripps said. "Children's rooms are the most fun because you can be more creative and use more color."