Joyce Lupresto at work in her studio
My interest in art began as a child. However, it was not until many years later in the early 1980’s when I was a young stay-at-home mom that I attended my first art class. This class was an introductory folk art class teaching in the oil medium. It was a great start to my art hobby, but I found that the concepts and patterns of folk art were too confining and repetitious for me.
In search of my desired niche, I began to study with local artists in the Indianapolis area. I worked with oil and watercolorist, Nancy Smith, and pastel artist, Ginna P. Lagergren, both of who were wonderful teachers. But I recognized a need for a stronger foundation. Therefore, I enrolled in the Indianapolis Art League Diploma Program, which lead me to complete my Fine Arts Associates Degree in June of 1991. I knew at the point of starting my degree that furthering my education in my art hobby would not only make me more knowledgeable about art, but also prepare myself for a second ‘career’ once I retired.
Continuing my education was, and still is, very important to me. After completing my art classes at Indianapolis Art League, I began attending Lenard Kowalski summer classes at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee from 1991- 1998. I became an active member of Indiana Plein Air Painters Association and the Hoosier Salon.
There were periods of time throughout my life in which I was unable to focus fully on my artwork. Life’s responsibilities, including owning my own salon, being a part of my children’s and grandchildren’s lives and taking care of a home, took precedence.
In 2007, I retired and moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Once settled, I joined the Kentucky chapter of the Plein Air Painters Association, Kentucky Watercolor Society, and the Central Kentucky Art Guild. Many of my recent works are compositions from central Kentucky, parts of Tennessee, and southern Indiana.