The Gift of Carol Decker’s Wildlife Art

Hello fellow lovers of all things green,

I had the pleasure of meeting Carol Decker at her Garden Party and Art Show, co-hosted by Fran’s (Delgado) Farmhouse Kitchen, to benefit Birth Haven in Newton, NJ, which provides shelter and support for homeless pregnant women and girls. What a privilege to volunteer songs with my singing partner and dear friend, Ken Roberts, to help support one of Carol’s many causes. Feeling our common thread of spirits rooted in nature, I asked Carol for an interview.

Carol Decker’s first painting was at the age of 12.

A humble and generous spirit.

A week after the garden party, Carol Decker graciously invited me to her home. I spent the afternoon learning about the journey that led her to become a renowned nature and wildlife artist. Carol’s humble and generous spirit shines through in her art, and in her beautiful Sussex County home, reminiscent of a cabin in the Adirondacks, serving as both her studio and gallery.

Then there’s her business savvy. Carol’s first job out of high school was as a legal secretary for an attorney, which gave her the insight and instinct to make a living doing what she loves. When we look back at our lives, we see that the things that happened had a purpose and a reason, even though at the time we had no clue why.

I felt as if I were in the woods with Carol as she reminisced about the adventures in the natural world.

“Because it’s a gift. I don’t take full 100% credit for it, so I don’t look at myself as being famous, but I look at myself as receiving this beautiful gift, and my only responsibility my whole life was to make it better and better.”

And to give to others, she didn’t add.

Carol Decker’s artistic journey began as a teen.

The remarkable part of the story is that she is primarily self-taught. Her parents noticed her love of drawing and found local artists who gave informal lessons. She still has her very first painting, a watercolor of a bird she created when she was 12 years old. Five years later, she’d go after school to a woman who painted flowers for the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, who taught by sharing the masters.

“What I was learning was how to mix colors and how to draw. Copying the old masters is the best way in the world to learn to paint,” Carol said.

“Copying the masters is the best way to learn to paint.”

Her masterful duplication of Pinkie by Sir Thomas Lawrence in 1794, and Blue Boy, by Thomas Gainsborough in 1770 (officially titled “A portrait of a young gentleman”), graces the walls of her guest room, painted when she was 17 years old.

For seventeen years, Carol held an art show at Lafayette Village with her husband, Roy, framing everything. They filled the building, providing free snacks with no admission fee. Thirty or forty fans would wait outside on opening day. And she sold paintings, many paintings—always giving a portion to help the community.

 New Jersey Outdoor covers propelled Carol’s popularity. 

The covers Carol painted for New Jersey Outdoors magazine for 15 years propelled her popularity. She sold all the paintings. Years later, she “put out to the universe” that she wished she had saved one of them. Then, one—a bass painting—magically returned to her.

“One day, I received a call from a woman who said. I’d like to visit you and give a painting back that you had sold to my late husband.”

The magnificent part of the story is that her son inspired the painting. A subtle vignette of him fishing is hidden in the clouds above the bass.

“If I could have had one of those 80 covers back, I would have picked that one.”

“If I could have had one of those 80 covers back, I would have picked that one.”

Carol’s Wildlife and Nature Journals turned into Paintings.

We meandered from the guest room and circled the upper floor, overlooking the first floor. Her paintings adorned the walls, and others are stacked below them. I marveled over the paper birch trunks that Roy built into the rails. And the enormous chandelier made of moose antlers, called paddles due to their broad, flat shape. He created many artful treasures and furniture by hand.

What a delight to look through her piles of journals. Pages and pages of observations in nature are described and illustrated in pencil, many of which turned into paintings over the years. Carol shows me a favorite sketch of the adorable chickadee and asks me to read what she wrote:

‘Little aerial Acrobat, always hanging from something upside down. March 2 (her wedding anniversary), I went out to fill the bird feeder. Impatient chickadee scolding me to hurry up. Decided instead to coax him to my hand for sunflower seeds. It only took five minutes. He came to my hand twice. I could hardly feel this tiny bit of fluff land. Did he just enter my world, or I his?’

‘Did he just enter my world, or I his?’

Such beautiful words and pictures.

“That says it all – these are the results of years of observing,” Carol said.

While watching Carol turn each page, sharing the memories of those moments, it felt as if I were in the woods with her as she reminisced about the adventures in the natural world. Her art and giving spirit demonstrate the circle of life and the importance of the difference we can make in the world by sharing the gifts we are given.

Towards the end of our visit, Carol shared what the symbol means after her signature on her art—G-O-D, one letter upon the next, in gratitude for the gifts she has been given. The conversation led to the power of our thoughts and words—May they all come from the spirit of love.

Thank you, Carol, for sharing your gifts; you are a light!

Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmail.com and your favorite Podcast App.

Enjoy more of the story in The Garden Dilemmas Podcast: [buzzsprout episode=’17529870′ player=’true’]

For more information about Carol, visit her website: CarolDeckerWildLifeArtStudio.net

Link to Fran’s Farmhouse Kitchen. 

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Ep 46. The Gift of Cut Flowers / Joy of Receiving Cut Flowers – Blog Post

Ep 84. Winter Season of Growth / Winter Season of Growth – Blog Post