Descending Stairs by Max Decker
Max Decker

Max Decker

Born in 1982, native Islander Max Decker is an oil painter inspired by the quiet moments of daily life. 

As a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Max experimented with many different mediums and subject matter, including delicate figurative sculpture, large scale expressionist paintings, and  lutherie. After graduating in 2006 he spent a decade living in Brooklyn, NY,  where his artistic pursuits varied from textiles and clothing design to making music with guitars he’d built himself. 

He returned to Martha’s Vineyard after a stint of city life to paint full-time. It was in this period that he reconnected with early lessons he’d learned painting Vineyard landscapes alongside legendary island artist Allen Whiting.

 

Still working in oil, Max has recently turned his attention away from the landscape to depict quiet interiors whose bright colors belie a solitary narrative. He finds unexpected emotional value in the passing moments of everyday life. After years of experimentation with other mediums and subject matter, he is producing some of his strongest, most personal work to date.

 

“There’s a certain honesty to painting what you see every day,” Max says. “It involves bits of landscape, bits of still life. I feel like I’ve really hit something I can do for a long time.”  While always inspired by the natural beauty of his surroundings, Max is now able to offer a more intimate perspective on the small moments that make up “island life.” 

Ever committed to finding the perfect tool, material or technique for each painting, Max is constantly exploring new and authentic modes of expression. “So much of painting is oddly technical,” he says. “It’s really like building a house.” 

Max continues to find the practice of sewing a welcome antidote to the cerebral work of painting, and is currently developing a line of simple denim work jackets that he sews by hand in his West Tisbury studio. Also a musician, his first full-length album was released in 2019 under the name Papertwin.  

Max lives in Aquinnah with his wife and son.

 

Check out Max at work!

Max in his studio, talks about his current work and inspiration.

Looking Closer to Home: Max Decker

Descending Stairs
Max Decker
Oil on Canvas
21" x 30"
2020
$3,200
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