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.
