Steve Decker knew soon after her graduation from La Jolla High School in 1969 that she wanted to be an artist, and more than 40 years later, she has successfully achieved that dream. She has combined her love of pets with her passion for painting, and develops professional works for clients across the country. A part-time employee of Talbots in La Jolla, she is also under contract illustrating a children’s book about a German shepherd and she said she’s working on her own book on “reflections of La Jolla” — a “painterly perspective” of her spirited memories of growing up in the community. Decker said the book will be for locals and tourists alike, and it will include “some historical sites, landmark places with stories and some history to boot,” she said. Decker encourages anyone with a great story about La Jolla’s history to e-mail her at [email protected]. She wants to donate a percentage of proceeds to the La Jolla Historical Society. Born in Buffalo, New York, Decker’s family moved to La Jolla in 1952. After high school, she went to college at the Escuela de Bayas Artes in Sevilla, Spain. “At first I was petrified. My instructor didn’t speak a word of English, and my Spanish was minimal to say the least,” said Decker of her studies abroad. “When we started to communicate with charcoal and brushes, art took on a whole different meaning.” After college, Decker raised three sons in Santa Barbara. She then lived in Telluride, Colo., for 12 years, where she twice published “Tails of Telluride,” a book of paintings and stories of Telluride dogs and their owners. In 2009, Decker returned to La Jolla, bringing to life a whole new wave of memories and inspiration. “It is so wonderful to be home, to reconnect with lifelong friends, my family and of course, stroll by the beach with my pup, Ruby Tuesday,” she said.