About Denise Ivey Telep

Artist, Writer, Instructor, Entrepreneur

Denise Ivey Telep has walked a life path that has included a wide
variety of vocations based on a diverse set of gifts.

Telep’s professional  journey began in 1975 at Ohio University. As
a photography and painting major, her first commercial
commission, on her painting professor's referral, was a  25'x 9'
coal mining mural in Athens, Ohio. Displaying her entrepreneurial
spirit, Denise immediately launched a Site Specific arts company
to sustain her creative energies until being offered a position as
photographer for a Professional Photography Studio.  Within a
short time she was promoted to Regional management to train
supervisors where Denise wrote a training manual designed for
photographers and managers to improve performance and
customer relations, along with writing and producing a video
training series. Within this time, Denise never stopped painting,
receiving commissions from  the corporate and private sectors
on a regular basis. The time came to use her leadership qualities
and heart to help others, so  Denise left the photography
profession to "re-energize" her site specific art  company , and  
“Art Solutions”, a custom fine art company was born.

The “Art Solutions” mission was to create a clearing house for
artists uniting the seeker of art with an artist who could custom
create design that piece to fit the buyer’s style preferences.
Soon Art Solutions employed over 40 artists in various
disciplines as independent contractors. Denise’s salesmanship
secured commissions and her design ability produced the rough
sketch. Clients loved her talent to visualize and bring tangibility to
what they were expressing in addition to her ability to select the
precise artist to fit their need. Art Solutions successfully kept
artists working. Art Solutions’s first public art event was the
“Canvasing Cleveland” mural held at Cleveland Riverfest 1987,
where participants used sponges and cups of color to
individually create in their own personal space, but had to
collaborate with their neighbors  on their left and right to unite
their imagery.  This was the beginning of the community
collaborative murals Telep has helped to encourage in local
communities, where  non artists and artists alike contribute.

In 1990 a feature article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported
on one of Denise’s own residential commissions and showed the
process from sketches to final art. By then, her personal
commercial commissions included Kennametal, Inc, Conversion
Resources, FitzSimons Advertising Agency, Landmark Office
Towers, The Halle Building, Laurelwood treatment facility and
Farro Enterprises. Local Interior Design firms commissioned
Denise to produce artwork that enhanced their environments,
having observed her special sensitivity to colors and themes
conducive to healing. That led to many commissions in the
Medical and Dental Arts fields as well.

In 2000, DaySpring Cards used Telep’s design as their 25th
Anniversary Edition Christmas Card.

2007 Holds a new direction as Artist Telep continues to  create
custom fine art for residential and commercial customers along
with building her exhibition record. Always interested in many
painting styles, her personal approach  currently, is in the finding
of abstract characteristics that representational art can capture
depending on viewpoint and perspective. The challenge is to
highlight the patterns and visual beauty  that is in everyday
environments. Years of honing her skills to recreate in multiple
styles, for diverse environments is evident in her work today.

"Unlike other artists, I want people to walk up to one of my
pieces on exhibition and be somewhat startled that my name is
there. Life and art is about stretching and growing, to me, I have
no desire to repeat anything thing I have already experienced."

Telep urges fellow artists to cast off years of making  
comparisons and negative self talk that have hindered the
expression placed within you. Well meaning family members,
teachers and friends, often fail to recognize that your gift is YOUR
gift;  that the gift of creativity was placed their by GOD, and only
needs coaching, and to be exercised.... not criticism.

“My next goal is to awaken humanity everywhere as to the
limitless creativity they possess inside themselves! To capture
their imaginations and through public art projects, coax that
creative soul into fruition.”

Denise Ivey Telep’s work can be found in numerous states, and
the Virgin Islands. Her largest was the 2800 square foot Atrium
cloud mural for Hospice of the Western Reserve, in Cleveland,
Ohio. Hidden within the clouds are images of spirituality, hope
and peace.

Denise resides in a century home nestled in 6 acres of scenic
North Royalton, Ohio with husband, Mike and two children, and a
golden retriever named Joshua.




Denise Ivey Telep is available for private lessons.
Email her at Denise@deniseiveytelepdesigns.com