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.

What do I like to paint?

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?

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!

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?

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

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.