FL Decker

FL Decker staring to the upper right in a grainy sepia toned photograph

Introduction

This is a website for my father, FL Decker, who was an accomplished painter, sculptor, and stained-glass maker. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any artwork, photos, or stories to share.

Jeffrey Decker

Obituary

Published in the Skagit Valley Herald

FL Decker standing next to his 1953 MGTD in a gravel parking lot

Frederick L. (FL) Decker

November 18, 1943 - June 27, 2020

Frederick Lee (FL) Decker, 76, passed away on June 27th from Alzheimer's.

Rick was born on November 18, 1943, to Glen and Louise (Erickson) Decker in Seattle, WA.

An accomplished painter, sculptor, and stained-glass maker, Rick spent most of his life in Skagit Valley, mainly in Blanchard, where he lived and maintained an art studio. His work has been collected throughout the Western US and Canada. Rick exhibited extensively including at Whatcom Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Sierra Arts Foundation, and Seattle Art Museum.

When not creating art, summers were spent working in the Alaskan salmon canning industry where he retired as a foreman.

He is survived by wife Dena Decker, son Jeffrey Decker, several cousins, and friends.

At this time memorial services will be held privately for immediate family. Those wishing to honor his life can make a donation in his name to the Alzheimer's Association. Pictures, artwork, and additional information will be available later at FLDecker.com.

Words from his cousin Melinda Lamp

Rick was born into a fishing family, the men in the family either fished or worked in the canneries in Alaska. In his early years Rick traveled to Alaska in the summer months where his parents, Glen and Louise, worked. Winters the family stayed on Fir Island, Skagit County, with his Erickson grandparents. Trips were made by steamships north, airplanes back. When it was time for school the family settled in Seattle.

An Ingraham High School graduate, art was his calling and summers working in Alaska paid the bills. He attended art school in San Francisco, returned to the NW living first on Guemes Island and then settling in Blanchard. As F.L. Decker, Rick made an impression in the NW art community participating in art shows, museum presentations and supporting charity art auctions.

Rick's art changed over the decades, but his glasswork, especially windows using vintage glass, were his specialty. He had a true feeling for design, a solid approach to structure and found great satisfaction when a project was completed in the vision he had when he began. Rick had a fondness for the fish that he spent summers with and he has many art projects incorporating fish. Family and friends treasure his and Dena's annual holiday cards......decades of fish as the theme, every year different.

Artwork

FL Decker had created many pieces of artwork in different mediums such as painting, printmaking, and stained-glass. Some are featured below.

Black and white print with 5 salmon heads looking at a moon Black and white print with a salmon that has its head out of the water looking at a moon Black and white print with two salmon with just their heads out of the water looking at the moon Black and white print with two salmon facing each other very close Photograph of a stained-glass window featuring two salmon in it Photograph of a stained-glass window with 5 salmon heads looking at a moon

Photos

FL Decker walking along the beach aged in his early 20s FL Decker sitting on a large anchor with Dena Decker FL Decker carrying me as a young child piggyback style FL Decker sitting next to Dena Decker with me sitting on his lap as a young child FL Decker wearing paper red goggles facing the camera while I'm holding his head FL Decker wearing a hat with artwork behind him in a scanned Polaroid picture FL Decker holding a tabby cat. The cat is wearing a hat with reindeer antlers. FL Decker in an office with a phone to his ear, a cigarette in his hand, and an excited expression FL Decker wearing a hat and reading a newspaper in a machine shop FL Decker looking at an older Mini Cooper car parked in grass FL Decker driving a vehicle with sunglasses on FL Decker is about a take a sip of a bloody mary drink FL Decker and Dena Decker slow dancing FL Decker sitting in a camping chair next to his MGTD that is parked in the grass FL Decker standing next to his MGTD in a parking lot

Videos

Screenshot of FL Decker working at the Peterson Point NEFCO canery Screenshot of FL Decker at home

Art Shows

I found an old resume that listed shows that my dad's artwork had been in. The resume was typed on an old Brother word processor sometime in late 00s.

Year Location City Notes
2006 Edison Eye Gallery Edison, WA "A Cup Full of Cheer"
2006 Cafe Culture La Conner, WA "See Stories"
2004 Edison Eye Gallery Edison, WA Invitational
2003 Edison Eye Gallery Edison, WA "Hot Shots" (group show)
2002 Edison Eye Gallery Edison, WA "Shadows and Reflections"
2000 Whatcom Museum Bellingham, WA Art and All That Jazz, Invitational
1996 St. Charles Church Burlington, WA Stained glass window commission, (6) 25" x 8'7"
1996 Tustin Renaissance Gallery Tustin, CA Glass show
1995 Our Savior's Lutheran Church Bellingham, WA Stained glass window commission, 20' x 20'
1995 Vox Populi Gallery Seattle, WA Northwest Noir
1995 City 2000 Gallery, Sierra Arts Foundation Reno, NV Three person glass show
1992 Northwest Center of the Arts Stanwood, WA Invitational
1992 Valley Museum of Northwest Art La Conner, WA Skagit Valley Artists 1974-1992 (catalog)
1989 CoCA Seattle Seattle, WA Counterfeit Masterpiece Show
1988 Edison Eye Gallery Edison, WA Before Toksook
1988 Matter/Danz Gallery Bellingham, WA Solo
1987 Corning Museum of Glass Corning, NY SGAA International Stained Glass Show (catalog)
1987 Rosette Gallery Bellingham, WA
1986 Murray/Hagar Gallery Kirkland, WA Solo
1979 Kiku Gallery Seattle, WA Solo
1976, 1978, 1984 Whatcom Museum Bellingham, WA Stained Glass Show ('76, '84 solo)
1974 Seattle Art Museum Seattle, WA Skagit Valley Artists Show (catalog and movie)
1972 Western Washington State College Bellingham, WA Solo
1971, 1972 Second Story Gallery Seattle, WA Asparagus Moonlight Show
1969 Western Washington State College Bellingham, WA 6th Annual National Exhibition of Small Sculpture and Drawing (purchase and catalog)
1968 Seattle Art Museum Seattle, WA Northwest Annual
1967, 1968, 1969 Attica Gallery Seattle, WA 1969 solo
1965, 1966 Northwest Arts and Crafts Gallery Seattle, WA

Collections and commissions throughout the USA in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California as well as British Columbia, Canada and Mese, Italy