Decorator’s Colorful Best Wishes

When New York A-list decorator Mark Hampton sent birthday cards to close friends, he pulled out his brushes and painted them himself. He also illustrated his own books with whimsical watercolors of the kind of slipcovered living rooms and pastel beach-house verandas that were his metier. Hampton, who served as White House decorator for George and Barbara Bush, died in 1998 at age 58.

Now his wife, Duane, and daughters, Kate and Alexa--the latter is carrying on her father’s decorating business--have showcased the designer’s sketches of still-lifes, architecture, landscapes, interiors and animals in a collection of greeting cards, framed prints and a biography, “Mark Hampton: The Art of Friendship” by Duane Hampton (Cliff Street Books, $40).

In the book, Duane Hampton describes how her husband liked to sketch while talking on the telephone.

One example in the book is a 20th anniversary card for Jack and Teresa Heinz--he was then a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania--featuring a pair of pickles on a pedestal in front of the U.S. Capitol.

“He would draw beautiful cards for me to sign,” recalls Hampton. “I realized it would be wonderful to still be able to write a note on one of his drawings.” She called on Caspari to create the line of note cards of Hampton’s room settings, just out this month. For information on the Hampton prints, contact Old World Prints Ltd. in Richmond, Va., (800) 365-1854 or www.oldworldprintsltd.com.