Bad Girl

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

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

SoDu Gallery

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

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

Studio Sale

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

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

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

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

Celebration

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

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

More new stuff for NuSoDu

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

The gallery gets a beautiful new tile floor.

Barry and Doug lay out the tile.

The finished floor.

Cool Stuff

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

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

SoDu's new home

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

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

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

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.