Fran Decker Key West Artist

2011-05-24T12:31:00.001-07:00

This past year I've been so busy with the new gallery (going great!)and now the return of Bob's cancer, I haven't posted in ages, but will try, at least post a few new paintings. Here's some from some plein air events this spring. Breakfast at Sarabeth's was from the Studios of Key West Quick Art Draw Art Crawl, won honorable mention and Tennessee Williams House was for the Tennessee Williams 100th Birthday Celebration Plein Air Contest, won second place.

Gazebo at the Garden Club

2011-05-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Frangipani Gallery

2010-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've been busy for a good reason. I will be opening a new gallery, Frangipani Gallery in November. I purchased the space at 1102A Duval, right next to SoDu Gallery, in the heart of the South Duval arts district. Renovations are taking place now - there's nothing like fresh paint!

New Year, New Paintings

2010-01-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

January is here again and it's time for my annual show of new paintings. Please join me at SoDu Gallery Saturday January 30 6-9 pm for an evening of food, friends and fun. Here are my favorites from the show.
"I've Got Your Back," the painting of two pearly nautilus shells was inspired by the two shells I bought several years ago while shopping with my friend Katherine in Virginia Highlands, Atlanta. I said I would paint them one day and I did this summer. Done in one long(and painful) sitting, the paint was flowing just right as the layers of the shells grew and grew.
"Callas" is a bit shell like in form. I loved the colors of turquoise fading into creamy yellow.

Bad Girl

2009-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

The tree is up and the lights are on and a very naughty kitty has gotten into the ornaments, but at least she hasn't spilled the wine... yet! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Fantasy Fest

2009-10-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

Fantasy Fest is just around the corner. Who will you be?

SoDu Gallery

2009-10-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

I just added the SoDu Gallery Facebook feed, so now you can check out gallery events right here on my blog. If you enjoy Facebook, find SoDu Gallery and Fran Decker and become a fan.

Fall Paintings

2009-09-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Even in Key West, you can feel the change in the air.

Studio Sale

2009-08-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is slow in Key West, so I've decided to put a Studio Sale page on my website, www.frandecker.com. Here's a great opportunity to get an oldie but goodie original painting for a great price. Most of these are on display at the Sugarloaf Logde, MM 17 in the Keys. Enjoy!

Lovely, Lazy Summer

2009-07-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

My summer means diving in clear cool water, waterspouts and thunderstorms, cats napping by the window, dinner out in air conditioned places, biking on the shady side of the street under poinciana trees aflame, crossing through the cemetary on the way to the gym to remind myself of why I go in the first place, rescuing a moth from the pool only to see it gobbled up by a gecko, ripe mangoes, papayas, bananas, sunset drinks on the boat and of course, painting.

Summer Daze

2009-06-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

The excitement of opening the new gallery is over and we are settled into our lovely new spot and things are sloww... as they usually are in summer around here.
That means time to catch up on projects and paintings and I have been busy as ever, doing just that. I just finished painting the adorable Seascape Inn, a cute bed and breakfast owned by my friends Marcia and Dave... and managed by the greeting committee of Blackie, Charlotte and Tubby Fred.

SoDu Grand Opening

2009-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a night! Thank you for your love and support!

Celebration

2009-05-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

We will celebrate on May 9, featuring the exhibit "From A Woman's Hand." This juried and judged (by Jerry Cash) show showcases the art of 60 very talented women from the Florida Keys. Prizes will be awarded in 5 categories: oil and acrylic, watercolor, photography, mixed media and fine craft. Sales will benefit Womankind, providers of healthcare to uninsured women in the Keys. There will be a champagne and chocolate reception from 6-9 pm, along with music and some surprise guests. SoDu Gallery, 1102 Duval St, Key West. Come on by!

One More Week

2009-05-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

A week to go. Like all good projects, we are behind schedule and over budget, but somehow things will get done, done enough for our grand reopening next Saturday.
Here, Mike is in a tight spot, wood rot gets addressed, Judi and Les are painting SoDu furniture, Bob and Doug take down the old sign, then we celebrate with a glass of wine across the street at Grand Vin, where we can admire our gallery from the porch.

Patching and painting

2009-04-22T14:21:00.001-07:00

More new stuff for NuSoDu

2009-04-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

We love Doug's "coffins" - neato drawers that slide inder the window platform.
Meanwhile the front room is painted, a lovely understated ostrich with white trim. The back room is just waiting for the ac guys to finish the ducts and the way back room is getting mudded today.

What's underfoot at the new space

2009-04-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

The gallery gets a beautiful new tile floor.

Barry and Doug lay out the tile.

The finished floor.

Cool Stuff

2009-04-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, NuSoDu is finally getting the brand new AC installed. This project had a scary start. The building inspector incorrectly identified which unit amongst 10 was ours and we nearly ripped out someone else's compressor. Then the AC at home went out, both of them, so the guys were at our house for two weeks. Now Barry, Doug and Mike will have a real cool place to work!

Prime before the Flood

2009-04-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

NuSoDu was all primed and ready for a coat of paint, then an Easter disaster occurred. An overflowing toilet from the unit above wrecked the ceiling in the middle room. At least we hadn't painted it yet. I'm learning a lot about owning a condo, for sure!

A few more "before" photos of NuSoDu

2009-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

SoDu's new home

2009-03-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Exciting times for me and SoDu Gallery! I bought a commercial condo space for SoDu to move into. The woman who owned it and ran the store is thrilled we are taking it over and has nothing but good wishes for us. She gave me some display stands and an antique telephone. Interestingly enough, we have three armoires in the present gallery that we bought from another shop... but they were originally in this store, so they are going home. When I went to the electric company to turn on the power, the woman said the electricity was last turned on for that store... exactly 15 years ago.
My girlfriends and I spent many happy hours browsing the vintage clothing and curios at Nannie Mixsells. It was a great favorite in Key West for many years and everyone was heartbroken when it closed, so I hope I get the good karma from that place.
I think I will. You know when something is meant to be everything goes smoothly? So far everything has fallen into place just like a dream!

Before photos

Something different

2009-02-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

I just finished painting a sink for my new bathroom. My friend and gallery partner Janis Childs helped me with glazes, painting techniques and firing in her big kiln. The sink is filled with fanciful sea creatures of all kinds and will be in my new cat bathroom. The old cat bathroom was a dingy dark cave with litter boxes, washer, dryer and assorted junk. The new cat bathroom will feature paintings of my cats, a glass jellyfish lamp, cabinets to hide the junk and of course, the new sink.
It's good as an artist to occasionally get out of your comfort zone. For me, that means doing something completely different. It's fun do do new things and I have painted on oars, birdhouses, scraps of metal, walls and more for special projects. I did some ceramic teapots, again with Janis' help for a wedding, but this sink was a lot harder than expected. I have a renewed appreciation for all ceramics artists out there.

Art Festivals

2009-02-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

February is Art Festival time. Last week I was at the Pigeon Key Art Festival in Marathon. Sales were slower than past years, but you'd have to live in a cave not to know the economy is not what it used to be. Still, I had fun, as I lived in Marathon for 17 years and saw tons of old friends. High school bud Debbie and her son Arthur drove all the way from Boca to see me, what a treat!
I'll be at the Old Island Days Art Festival in Key West on Whitehead Street February 21 and 22. Come by and see some exciting new paintings that aren't even on the website yet.

Show Time

2009-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

It's January and for me, it's show time. For the past six years, I have had a show of new work every January, first at Stone Soup Gallery (thanks, Melissa!) and now at SoDu Gallery.
For some perspective, here is the press release for this year's show and the one from my 2008 show. As you will see, 2007 was a difficult and frightening year. This year's show is quite different. 2008, other than the stock market, was a good year with lots of travel and fun things. Here also are a few paintings from both shows, but you can find all the ones mentioned on my website, frandecker.com, which has all my new work on it now.

January 2009 show
Fran Decker invites you to an “Adventure in Plein Air Painting”, an exhibit of new work at SoDu Gallery, January 11-February 3, 2009. There will be an opening reception on Sunday, January 11 6-9pm at SoDu Gallery, 1100 Duval Street and will coincide with the Upper Duval Full Moon HOWL. Please join Fran and friends at SoDu for an evening of entertainment and refreshments at a jungle theme party. Also, please visit frandecker.com or read Fran’s new blog about life as a Key West artist at frandecker.blogspot.com.
The adventure continues for Fran with paintings from her journeys throughout the year. New and exciting plein air paintings from the Dry Tortugas, the backcountry and the beaches show the beauty of the Keys. A painting of Eaton Bikes fits the theme of travel and exploration. Still life paintings of juicy summer fruit provide sustenance for the road. Finally, a painting of kitchy kitchen chickens means that home in Key West is where Fran’s heart lies.

January 2008 show
Fran’s work this year shows some marked changes and many paintings, particularly the still lifes have a new dark depth to them. 2007 was a difficult year as Fran’s husband battled cancer. Cherry Stems is the first to show a different palette than the bright tropical colors that Fran is known for, and was painted just a day before Bob’s diagnosis. The Other Side, The Sky Above and Garden Gate were painted during a period when things looked very bleak for Bob. The first two paintings depict an almost surrealist landscape setting, perhaps a vision of what is to come. Garden Gate gives a glimpse into the paradise that is the Garden Club at West Martello.
Then in the spring, as Bob’s outlook improved, came the dark, but hopeful ones, with flowers, eggs, vegetables and fruit; Red, Blue Bowls, White, Purple Vandas. One of the last of this group, Mardi Gras Yellow, is bursting with fruit, flowers and color.
Florida Sunrise, a serene backcountry scene, was finished as Bob completed treatment. Summer Shells and several conch house paintings show a return to the bright, sunny scenes of Key West. Peppers, a fall painting, has a sense of humor and won a prize at the Key West Art Center’s juried show. The final painting of the year, Pomegranates, is all about enduring love. At the October checkup, Bob is cancer free.

What do I like to paint?

2008-11-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

The short answer is everything! I am known for my conch house paintings, colorful, tropical depictions of the unique old houses of Key West. And new - you can find a mural of the Harbor House on the construction wall close to the corner of Elizabeth and Caroline Street. I also like painting landscapes, seascapes, and still life. What you don’t see a lot of is people. It’s not that I don’t like painting people, it’s not one of my strengths. I have a closet full of bad people paintings, but I continue to try, so one day you may see some.

The Key West houses and landmarks mostly are painted en plein air. I paint every Wednesday with a small group of artists, the Key West Plein Air Painters. We meet somewhere different each week, paint for a few hours, sometimes the same thing, other times different things in that general vicinity. Sometimes we lunch together afterwards. We’ve had a few group exhibits, notably one at the Key West art museum, The Custom House.

The still lifes are mostly from Jim Salem’s classes. Every Thursday, Jim has a class at the Sugarloaf Tiki Lodge. He is a most gifted teacher. He gives a demonstration in which he explains clearly what and why he does. We then paint on our own and there is a critique afterwards. Jim always finds something nice to say about all the paintings, even while offering suggestions to improve. His classes have had a huge impact on my work. You can clearly see the difference in the before Jim and after Jim paintings. Check out his website jimsalemart.com.

The sea and landscapes could be from either and you can see everything I mentioned on my website, frandecker.com. Another thing you won’t find is some of my travel paintings. I love to take photos when I travel, but even better is a memorable painting from a place I visited. I think I love these paintings because they capture the emotion of the place and how I felt when I was there. Here is an interesting example, “Fall Vista,” painted from memories of a magnificent Blue Ridge Parkway drive. I am uncertain of whether to put it on my website, as it is not tropical and has nothing to do with Key West. What do you think? Should I start a travel page on my website? More important, do I want to sell these intensely personal paintings?

Why do you sell your paintings? How do you give them up?

2008-11-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

A lot of people ask me this. At first, I didn’t want to part with my paintings, as they are all personal, but the more I paint, the more paintings I have. They aren’t making anyone happy in the closet! I started by giving away paintings. All my friends and relatives have one. Then, when I started selling my paintings, I had to put some limits. One sister, when viewing my latest paintings, said she wanted this and that. I said, no, they are for sale now. You have six already (including Mermaid Babies, below). Now, my relatives get one free painting. The rest are for sale.

I always love the most recent one the most, but I do have favorites.

Ultimately, the highest compliment an artist can receive is to have someone want to buy their painting. It means they like it enough to pay money for it. You could discuss endlessly the whole topic of money for art, but money is how our society puts a value on things. If someone wants to buy my art, that means it has value. If someone thinks my work has value, that makes me feel that I have value and that makes my day!

2008-11-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

2008-11-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

What is my background as far as art training? How did I get started?

For the most part, I am self taught. I was a creative child, always involved in painting or drawing something. As a teenager, I was attracted to the bright colors of acrylic paint and really started my life long love affair with acrylics. I painted throughout high school and college, but only took one art class in college, purely for fun. I was a biology major at Wellesley College and was very serious about going on to medical school and doing research one day, not becoming an artist.
Ah, but my life took some unexpected turns. I got sidetracked by a love of sailing and in my 20's, when I was living on a sailboat and adventuring about the Caribbean, I still painted, just smaller canvases. After settling down in the Florida Keys, I painted, but only for myself as I worked on trying to make a living as a biologist in the Keys, which ultimately led me to a great job with The Nature Conservancy managing the volunteer program of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
When the start up computer company that Bob worked for was bought out, he retired from the rat race and started a sailing charter business with the boat (see saildoubledecker.com). It didn’t take long for me to take advantage of the chance to really be an artist. I started by taking a class at the Audubon House with Judi Bradford, a well known Key West artist and journalist. After just two classes, she asked me if I had ever thought about selling my work. Yes, but how? What do I do? Judi was my mentor. She gave me tons of advice, the first being join a co-op. Share rent and work with a group of artist, giving yourself a venue to show and be seen. See Judi’s work at lizardlicks.com.
I joined Island Arts, a co-op that had been around for 15 years, with a good following of both locals and tourist. There, I learned more about the art business from my fellow artists. I continued taking classes, from various local artists such as Judi, Sanford Birdsey, Kate Miller, Susan Sugar and Jim Salem. I exhibited at the local art festivals. Two years ago I had the chance to partner with four other artists and start a new gallery, SoDu. We have a brand new website http://sites.google.com/site/1100sodugallery/, thank you Lainie!
I am often asked if I teach. No, perhaps one day, but right now, I feel like I am still learning, both about art and the art business. I am happy to share ideas!

Who was that masked man?

2008-11-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

Who?
That magnificent red parrot is my beloved Bob. Fantasy Fest photos were taken by dear friends Patti Carey (cemetery) and Jill Benado, a wonderful photographer artist. It’s always important to acknowledge fellow artists!

Fantasy Fest

2008-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Fantasy Fest is when Key Weird goes crazy. For me as an artist, it's all about the costumes. As usual, we had a blast. The cemetery masquerade march is always my favorite event because it involves lots of clever costumes. The theme this year was Pirates, Pundits and Political Party Animals. I figured all pirates need parrots and what better pundit than a talking parrot?

Earlier in October, I attended John McBride's mask and headdress workshop at the Studios of Key West. John is the genius behind the masks at maskerville.com. I learned all about glue guns, but managed to make these headdresses.

For many years, I have made my own Fantasy Fest masks and a few headdresses -anyone remember the dinosaur whores? Compared to my past efforts, this year's headdresses were light and comfortable. Alas, not so those feather wings. Never feel sorry for birds in the snow - feathers are hot - and itchy if they're not your own.

Welcome

2008-10-21T11:29:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. Also, welcome to Key West. I have lived in the fabulous Florida Keys for 20 years. I have been a full time working artist for the past eight years. Many people have told me they would love to know just what life as an artist in Key West is all about, so I'll do my best to take you into the wonderful weird world of Key West.

First things first. I paint acrylic paintings. They tend to be colorful and tropical, but nothing is off limits. I do a lot of commission work. I can paint your favorite house, restaurant, boat, or fantasy. I also make things out of whatever I find lying around, which is a lot, since I am a pack rat. The paintings, you can see on my website www.frandecker.com. Or drop by my gallery, SoDu at 1100 Duval St in Key West, corner of Virginia and Duval, in the heart of the South Duval Arts District. I work there on Tuesdays, so please come in and say hi. Or come HOWL with us. Every full moon, all the galleries, shops and restaurants in our neighborhood stay open late and have special events. The South Duval Full Moon HOWL is a great way to see what's new and meet up with all your friends.

The gallery. SoDu is a partnership of five artists, plus we have many guest artists and special events. My partners are Judi Bradford, painter and crafter of fabric necklaces, longtime mentor and friend, Janis Childs, famous for her painted wooden bowls who I met while involved with Island Arts Co-op Gallery a few years ago, Leslie Kanter, a potter who was with the old Helio Gallery on Fleming, and Lainie Davia, jeweler extraordinaire. Be sure to visit the gallery's blog 1100sodu@blogspot.com.

That'll do for an introduction. You'll find out more about me later. What do I want to accomplish with this blog? I hope to give you an insight into what an artists' life is like, not only the trials and tribulations of trying to make a living with your art, but the special joys this life brings. As Judi was my original teacher and mentor, I hope to teach and inspire. So if you have questions, I'll give you my thoughts.