Jacqueline Decker Designs

IF: Fuel

2011-10-22T12:58:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted in a while but not due to lack of FUEL.
This semester I'm teaching 2 new classes and to reward myself I experimented with mixed media. This piece is collage, watercolor, gouache and colored pencil. I used gum arabic to glaze on watercolor - really makes the colors pop. The collage pieces are from a printout of my rose bear illustration. It was oddly therapeutic to chop up my own work!

IF:swell

2011-08-17T15:44:00.000-04:00

It was the first day at his new school . The closer he came the more his anxiety level began to SWELL!

I hope my son will see the humor in this post as he gets ready for the intermediate school!

Back from Blue Mountain

2011-08-15T13:09:00.000-04:00

We're back from Blue Mountain Lake and our best family vacation yet! A week of no internet, email or cell phones - just the woods, the lake, family and wonderful new friends.
It was a week of first - our son paddled his own kayak, jumped off rock island and made it to the top of Blue Mountain's fire tower.
And I couldn't help but be inspired --- mist rising off the lake, a family of loons, chattering red squirrels, an adorable porcupine and a tricky mink that joined us as we jumped off the dock for afternoon swims!

IF: Obsession

2011-07-29T08:48:00.001-04:00

My fascination and attraction to crazy quilts is becoming an obsession! I can "blame" my Great, Great Grandmother Merritt who created dazzling crazy quilts while she ran a boarding house in the Catskills.

IF: gesture

2011-07-18T20:52:00.000-04:00

The gesture and working out the silhouette...

The drawing....

The finish...

IF: Stay-cation

2011-07-12T19:35:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the best vacations are just 10 minutes away!

In northwestern Connecticut we have The White Memorial Conservation Center,

4000 acres of woods, trails, ponds and fields.

We enjoyed Father's Day there - in our canoe!

(We're the 3 bears in the birch bark canoe.)

IF: Remedy

2011-07-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

This piece is from my Home Remedies collection. Here are some the coordinating images...

And a mock-up for a greeting card and matching envelope...

The mouse nurse is planning to return to the drawing board with a thermometer and maybe some bandages.

IF: Midsummer Night

2011-06-26T16:14:00.003-04:00

Wouldn't we all like a cute yellow dragon to look over us as we settled in for the night?!

IF: Launch

2011-06-21T22:14:00.004-04:00

The new leaf has been turned. I am back to the blog-o-sphere. Thought I should start with an IF post.

Happy Birthday Mouse

2010-06-12T16:39:00.003-04:00

I live next door to what was my Grammy Y's house. A few years ago the house was sold for a second time since my grandmother's passing. This time a couple from Manhattan would make it their weekend home. Little did we know that this couple would become dear friends. This mouser is a birthday present for Bobbi.

Thank you Bobbi for making my grandmother's house a home again. And Thanks to Grammy Y for pulling some string from up above to give us the gift of amazing neighbors.

Painted Planet Licensing

2010-06-10T10:53:00.003-04:00

I am proud to announce that I have signed on with Painted Planet Licensing. Jan Draheim will be representing my work to be licensed for paper products, housewares, fabric, bedding, garden products - and more. I am thrilled to be working with her and look forward to introducing new work and completed collections at the Atlanta Gift Show in July.

Now I must get back to the drawing board. Today it's woolen mittens and mice for the "Not a Creature was Stirring" series.

Illustration West 48

2010-05-08T10:44:00.002-04:00

The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles announced the opening of the Illustration West 48's website today.
Four of my pieces were selected and are on display in the self-promotion category!
Please click to check out Cricket's New Year, Mud Season, Fall Fox and Spring Rabbit.
http://www.si-la.org/48

Forget- me-not!

2010-04-27T08:38:00.005-04:00

Even though I wore a scarf yesterday the garden believes it's spring. The wee forget-me-nots have bloomed giving me that reassurance that soon I will be edging, weeding and mulching to my heart's content. As a tribute to these brave little posies here are some pieces from my Garden Border collection.

It's here...

2010-04-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

...and it's so thrilling to be included in this beautiful magazine. The other women featured are amazing so please check it out if your near a Barnes and Noble, Borders or a Claire Murray store!

A heartfelt thanks to Linda Kramer, Stacy Bass, Donna Murphy, Laurel Kornhiser and, of course, Claire Murray for this gift.

What's on the board: Santa Bear

2010-04-12T09:08:00.003-04:00

Having fun giving my tiny brushes a work-out painting these mittens!

The "La Vie Claire" spring edition is just days away!

2010-04-06T20:39:00.004-04:00

La Vie Claire has a sneak peek of the article about my work and home on their website. Click the link below then "turn" to pages 20-21. I can not wait to hold the magazine in my hands - how thrilling!

http://www.clairemurray.com/LVC-SP10.html

Take Heart!

2010-03-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

I listened to a great podcast from Tara Reed the other day - an interview with Mary Engelbreit . Tara asked questions for an hour about Mary's life, career, work schedule, and how she balances it all. The nugget I walked away with is that Mary Engelbreit CHOOSES to draw at her table at home after she puts her 9 year old to bed.
I'm always trying to carve out studio time in my day that maximizes my Mom Time so after "bedtime" can be the start of the work day!
It makes me smile knowing that as I sit at my table after I put my son to bed that the Queen of Licensing is also at hers!

Here's a link to Tara Reed's Art Licensing blog,

http://artlicensingblog.com/2010/03/18/mary-engelbreit-was-amazing-on-the-art-licensing-ask-call/

A Merry Christmas Sketch

2010-03-11T21:05:00.005-05:00

Let's just say that my studio is an organizational challenge on a good day but especially when things start chugging along. This week there are stockings stuffed and hanging from my easel, yards of braided wool, white pine and hand-carved reindeer adorning my desk. Christmas has come early and this time in the form of a jolly polar bear.

The new addition to my holiday collection is inspired by home spun items in tribute to my Great Grandmother Marinkas. This small Hungarian woman would come to stay at our house for a week at a time to teach my mother how to make braided rugs and crochet. She said little as her small hands braided and crocheted at top speed - we watched in fascination. She would kiss our cheeks goodbye and leave us with the gifts of her labor, a blanket and a rug.

Grandma Marinkas seemed magical - just like one of Santa's helpers!

Snow Day

2010-02-23T11:04:00.004-05:00

Poem by Elinor Wylie

Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

A pefect match of words and picture, this page from Winter Poems sums up

this beautiful snowy day.

a great resource...

2010-02-16T19:15:00.005-05:00

Need a way to spend a few dozen hours? The New York Library's digital collection is treasure trove of decorative motifs, patterns and historical ornamentation.
Here's a couple of my favorite links:

Les fleurs animées

La décoration moderne dans le textile

Bouquets et frondaisons

The grammar of ornament

L'animal dans la décoration

Have fun!

Westminster

2010-02-16T14:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I spent the day at Madison Square Garden with dozens of dachshunds, bassets and PBGVs. What an experience! Westminster is a bench show so you can go back stage and watch the English sheepdogs get their hair teased into a giant afro, pet the Best in Show blood hound and get a lick from an Irish wolf hound. It was a bit of heaven on earth. The fuzzy guy on the left came in second.

There were quite a few new breeds recognized by the Kennel Club for the first time this year. I got to pet one of them - a Norwegian Buhund from Oregon who was held by her owner - no crate for this pup!

It was hard not to shed a tear when the proud owner of the winning afghan hound burst into tears hugging her glamorous dog when they won best in show for the breed - sniff, sniff!

If you attend the show definitely visit the lobby of Hotel Pennsylvania to see their beautiful lobby filled with dozens of dogs, their fancy beds being rolled in on luggage carts and coolers filled with their special mix of gourmet dog food. Then walk half a block to The Nile, a glam bar, and enjoy a cosmo!

New Website

2010-02-03T16:14:00.006-05:00

My website is updated thanks to Nancy White Cassidy, illustrator and web designer.
She made the process painless and easy. If you need your site updated or overhauled, she's the person to call. Thank you, Nancy!

Visit her site at:
www.nancycassidy.com

My updated site:
www.jdecker.com

Grady

2010-01-05T20:10:00.003-05:00

One of my earliest childhood memories is trying to convince our three-legged dog, Grady, to hold a marker and color in the border of a book of fairy tales. I came across this old snapshot of the both of us. We adopted him after he was hit by a car and needed some special care. He was the perfect childhood pet; waited at the bus stop each afternoon for my arrival and a patient model during dress up. What a pup!

New Year, New Blog, New Possibilities...

2010-01-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

The new year brings new resolutions, possibilities and opportunities.
One resolution is to blog. With the exciting things happening in the next few months it would be a shame not to record them. So here it goes....

10 bluebirds...

2008-11-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

Great News....

2008-10-30T09:02:00.002-04:00

I delivered the paintings for Froggy Went a-Courtin' to Soundprints in Norwalk, CT this week.

10 botanical borders, 10 bluebirds, 4 spots, 10 spreads and a cover are all in their capable hands. It was exciting - and a relief! The Froggy book will be packaged with a CD that includes a read along narration and a musical rendition of the song. This is the latest in Smithsonian's series American Favorites that celebrates our country's musical heritage.

Inspired by the Pasadena Trip

2008-03-25T21:05:00.007-04:00

MFA "Homework": Create a piece of art inspired by Pasadena

The assignment was so open that I decided to do some of the things on my wish list; a girl bear, a poster and art nouveau decoration.

The moment I opened my first Little Bear book illustrated by Maurice Sendak I wanted to be an illustrator. I poured over those pen and inks of that cute cub as he decided that wearing his own fur coat in the winter was warm enough. Pair that with my affection for Sendak's posters then add a dash of Mucha and here's what I came up with...

The sketch.

The painting.

The finish.

To learn more about The Huntington click here: http://www.huntington.org/

Inspired by Elizabeth Shippen Green

2007-11-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

"Jehane – The Constant Lover"
Harper's Monthly Magazine
September 1906

I was attracted to the intricate swirling shapes of the background contrasting against the solid color and diagonals of the cloak which directs the eye to the woman’s face. The color with little shading on her face pulls her forward from the detail and busyness of the wall treatment.

This is reverse thinking for me. My tendency would be to make the focal point busy with detail and simplify the background. I like the ornamental quality of the background like a decorative border integrated into the scene. Inspired by this and other pieces by Elizabeth Shippen Green the experiment begins...

The sketch.

The finish.

Please know I'm not fooling myself into thinking this is of Elizabeth Shippen Green's quality but it was fun to be a wannabe red rose girl for a few days!

Pasadena Trip

2007-11-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

From November 3rd through the 10th I was in Pasadena with my MFA group.

Highlights fromthe trip included...

...visiting Paul Rogers and Kenton Nelson at Castle Green.

...presentations by Mark Murphy, Maria Rendon, Calef Brown and Gary Meyer.

...touring Dreamworks and seeing an old VUGames/Funnybone friend, Ted Forgrave, a 3d superstar.

...checking our Nick Studios and Storyopolis.

...giant burritos for lunch.

...seeing Dave Chiaperino and Chris Cherubini, also VUGames/Funnybone friends, who now work for Disney and Activision respectively and are also 3D superstars.

...and of course being reunited with "the group"!

Lori Ann and me.

I bunked at LA's house and was escorted around in her Mercedes wagon that runs on VEGGIE OIL!

Ted and Betsy...

2007-10-01T16:32:00.000-04:00

Picts from the book dummy class with Ted and Betsy Lewin. This project turned into one half of my thesis, book dummy and color finishes for Peter and The Wolf.

This is also what a person looks like on no sleep. My room mate was alittle wild! Love her!

MFA - Trip to Chesterwood

2007-09-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

Back to School...

This summer I started Murray Tinkelman's limited residency MFA program at Hartford Art School. Here are the 2007, 2008 and 2009 MFA classes at Chesterwood. http://www.hartfordillustrationmfa.org/

A Kittery Kayaker

2007-08-29T21:56:00.000-04:00

A Kittery Kayaker

has paddled into bookstores throughout Maine!

This is the second in the Little Limericks series I've illustrated for Commonwealth Editions.

http://www.commonwealtheditions.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=182

The first one....

2007-08-29T21:45:00.001-04:00

A Bad Boy from Beacon Street

By author: Webster Bull

Illustrated by: Jacqueline Decker

Ride along with Paul Revere. Catch a homer at a Red Sox game. Explore the Boston Harbor Islands and gasp at fireworks on the Charles River Esplanade. Enjoy these sights and sounds of Boston, and many more, with a loveable group of animal characters and a dozen wry limericks. Residents and visitors, young and old, will smile and giggle over these playful poems set in some of Boston's most cherished places.

Webster and I sign books at Boston Children’s Museum.

http://www.commonwealtheditions.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=100