Wildlife artist offers works at Lafayette Village Hall

Lafayette —Carol Decker, nationally renowned Sussex County wildlife artist, naturalist, conservationist, educator, and award winner will exhibit an extensive collection of her work at Wildlife Weekend XII on Nov. 9 through 12 at Olde Lafayette Village in the Village Meeting Hall, Routes 15 and 94. This annual holiday art show and sale is sponsored by Wildlife Art Studio of Branchville in cooperation with Olde Lafayette Village. This year Decker, in partnership with Olde Lafayette Village, will donate a percentage from each show sale to benefit Samaratin Inn, a sanctuary for homeless Sussex County residents. The artist has supported many charities and non-profit organizations with her art over the years, and each year at the Wildlife Weekend Shows at Olde Lafayette Village, the artist picks a different local charity to support. In addition, this year, she will be introducing a new art reproduction print program. There will be a more expanded offering of additional subjects from her original paintings at smaller edition sizes, signed and numbered, on 100 percent cotton rag archival museum quality paper, and printed with the finest archival pigmented inks Show and sale hours on Friday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is no admission charge. Refreshments will be served throughout the show, and the artist will be on hand to meet with guests. Many new limited-edition signed and numbered prints, an existing collection of signed and numbered prints, artist’s proof prints, new original pen and ink sketches and original acrylic paintings shown for the first time as well as previous work published in books and magazines will be displayed and for sale at a wide range of affordable prices. Decker’s artwork is well known in Sussex County, as well as statewide, nationally and internationally. She won the Farm and Horse Show/New Jersey State Fair “Peoples Choice” awards for 2000, 2002, and 2003 and in 2005 for her art. She has also won the 2000 Maryland Black Bear Conservation Stamp Competition, and ongoing her paintings of a moose, “Close Encounter,” ”Water Fountain Chickadee” and “Standing Room Only,” painted turtles will be featured on cards for Leanin’ Tree and Pumpernickel Press. In addition, her paintings continue to be reproduced on the Outdoor Calendars by Ron Schera, ESPN 2 television host of “Backroads with Ron and Raven.” In 2002 she created “Bygone Days,” celebrating the 250th birthday of Sussex County and presented a framed reproduction of this painting to Sussex County which hangs in the Administration Building. In 1999 she won the International Migratory Bird Day Poster competition sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C. Decker’s artwork is licensed for use on many national decorative products including, cards, calendars, canvas art, hand cut wood puzzles, cross-stitch patterns, magnetic mailbox covers, and coming early 2008 approximately a dozen products featuring her painting, “Majestic Moose” on a collection of paper, ceramic and glassware items. Decker’s art is well respected in New Jersey for the more than 80 original paintings appearing in New Jersey Outdoors magazine and New Jersey Wildlife Profiles book, published by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. This book containing 52 of Decker’s paintings is now sold out. Another notable book is “Bridges to the Natural World”, by the NJ Audubon Society, an environmental teaching publication in its fourth printing and reaching international coverage. Decker has also painted a series of six collector plates for the Bradford Exchange; her work has appeared in or on countless magazines, books, calendars, posters, cards, prints, plates, and apparel over the years. She has spent a lifetime studying nature and animals in the outdoors, together with extensive field research and sketching, she strives to bring the beauty and serenity of her scenes to everyone as she sees it in as realistic and detailed a style as possible — like being there looking over her shoulder. For more information call the Wildlife Art Studio at 973-948-5597 or visit web: http://www.caroldeckerwildlifeartstudio.com.