If you are a regular reader of aviation magazines and books - especially those published by Lela Presse - Thierry Dekker's name will not be unknown to you. I knew Thierry before he had his first digital profile published - he worked with an airbrush for Replic magazine when he first started out before producing his first digital profiles in around 2002 if I recall correctly. Thierry Dekker became and still is one of the leading self-taught 'profile artists' in the digital environment - he was one artist who knew just how important a quality illustrator able to produce to deadlines was for an editor...
But now he's decided to drop down a gear, step off the treadmill and adopt a more relaxed mode - retirement! Anyone who has seen the fantastic selection of B-26 Marauders he has produced for the latest issue of 'Avions' magazine (not to mention Hellcats, Fiats and Kawasakis) will immediately understand what a 'loss' this will be. By way of tribute the magazine has reproduced certain of his artworks in 'Avions' issue No. 228 very large. Never fear though - there are apparently plenty more artworks in the pipeline from Thierry - including more Luftwaffe subjects in the Lela Presse 'Units' series among others.
Although we've never met we have worked together on many publications including his self-published 'Profile Hanger', for which Thierry asked me to write the English text, a request which I was more than happy to meet. 'Profile Hangar' adopted a similar 'landscape' format to Erik Mombeeck's 'Luftwaffe Gallery' - which Thierry also designed and illustrated up until recently - but which unfortunately did not meet with quite the same level of success, despite the stunning artwork throughout.
We wish you a happy retirement, Thierry, preferably without the health concerns that sometimes arise from "old age"....(with thanks to Philippe Bellarini for the photo taken in 2012 in Toulouse)
'Profile Hangar' covered ten different aircraft types, including the P-51, P-40, P-47, Hurricane, Spitfire, Typhoon, Curtiss H-75, Fw 190, Spad XIII and Hellcat. The book features fifty-nine profile artworks, of which forty-seven depict nose art, backed up by over sixty photos.
You can still find Thierry's 'Profile Hangar' if you look hard enough - here's an 'unbiased' review on the Osprey Modelling news blog
