I joined our motley collection of artists this year for our informal annual painting trip, this time to paint in Utah. Hailing from the East coast, West coast and Mexico, we all stayed together at a lodge and traveled to many of the parks nearby, including Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point … Continue reading On Location in Utah
A new book on color by Al Gury was just published by Watson-Guptill this last year. Al was one of my most influential teachers when I was studying back in Philadephia; he is currently the chair of the painting department at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts there. Titled “Color for Painters: A Guide to … Continue reading Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice
An idea I hear tossed around fairly often about color is that while the morning and evening are great times to paint, during the middle of the day color “flattens out” or “dies.” I would like to suggest something entirely different: the color does not go gray, it merely changes. The middle of the day … Continue reading There Is No Gray in Nature
The Edge of the Sea, Big Sur, 11″ x 10″, Oil on panel, © Eric Merrell I recently sneaked away for a week of painting up in Big Sur, the absolutely amazing coastline between Monterey and San Luis Obispo. After a hasty packing and evening departure, I arrived in darkness and heavy fog just before … Continue reading Big Sur
See more paintings and photos from the trip on Facebook. The Roar of Time, 14″ x 11″, Oil on panel, © Eric Merrell Joshua Nocturne, 10″ x 10″, Oil on board, © Eric Merrell Near Desert Hot Springs, Afternoon, 10″ x 11″, Oil on panel, © Eric Merrell Fallen Joshua Tree, 10″ x 10″, Oil … Continue reading Paintings from Joshua Tree
No More in a Moment, 24″ x 24″, Oil on canvas mounted on panel, © Eric Merrell This painting will be part of a three-week long exhibition and auction, Art Auction 13: Nothing But Blue Skies, at the Long Beach Museum of Art, on view from September 4-19. The exhibition precedes the auction, which takes … Continue reading Meet Me in Long Beach
Spaceship Landing, 10″ x 10″, Oil on board, © Eric Merrell I recently took a trip out to the Salton Sea to explore and paint with my friends Andrew Dickson and Samantha. Man, what a gorgeous place – but so inhospitable. Not the people, though; we met some very nice folks, including Leonard Knight who built … Continue reading Beware of Fish Scapulas, etc.
The February issue of American Art Collector has a great story of the Maine trip and upcoming exhibitions, including lots of images. It should be out on newsstands soon if it isn’t already. And still plenty of time to book your tickets to Boston! Christina’s World, 1948, © Andrew Wyeth, tempera on panel, 32″ x 48″, Museum of Modern … Continue reading American Art Collector; Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009)
The Proximity of a Town, Monhegan, 12 1/2″ x 16″, Oil on panel, © Eric Merrell Happy New Year to everyone; a new year filled with Art, Music, Food, Family, and Gingerbread, all the good things in life and not necessarily in that order. We really are living in the best period of history, with … Continue reading “Paintapalooza” at Cape Cod Museum of Art, Addison Art Gallery
Aspirations of Man, 22″ x 28″, Oil on canvas, © Eric Merrell You’ve probably noticed by now that I exhibit with and write quite a bit about the California Art Club. I first encountered the group sometime in spring 2000 when I took a term off from Art Center College of Design where I was enrolled (and later … Continue reading The California Art Club’s 98th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition
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