Daniel Merriam is a contemporary surrealist, best known for his dry brush technique and imaginative style. Merriam’s unique visions are layered with colorful imagery in a style that reclaims the territory of dreams and romance for both classical and contemporary art lovers alike.
Born in 1963 in York, Maine and one of seven children, he taught himself to paint at a very young age and used his art as a method of reflective play throughout his childhood. He studied mechanical and architectural design and applied his dimensional skills and passion for architecture in the family’s design and construction business. He then turned his talents to the commercial art field, working as an architectural and commercial illustrator for a number of multi-national corporations.
In 1986 Merriam shifted his focus solely to fine art. Among Merriam’s many accomplishments is an honorary Master’s Degree of Humane Letters from the University of New England in recognition of the potential social contribution of his art, several first-place Broderson Awards and the first-place New England Scholastics Press Association Award. Merriam’s lifelong achievements are the subject of three catalogues reisonnés that have been inducted into permanent archives of museums and libraries worldwide. He has had over one hundred solo exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East and has garnered acclaim from numerous national and international publications and television news broadcasts.
“In 1980 when I was interviewing for art schools, they were not encouraging figurative work. I was told that my abilities would not be appreciated. I chose to work as an illustrator rather than become an abstract painter. The fashions in art have changed several times since then and fortunately figurative work has maintained a strong interest from art collectors. As far as art education, I have almost none. We had art class in grade school but it was pretty basic. I learned my techniques through observation and trial and error. The most valuable lesson I had learned was when my tenth grade English teacher entered a series of my political cartoons in a national journalism contest and I won first place. Aha! The power of the pen does not apply only to writing. The other thing that stuck in my mind was when my high school art teacher (a woman of few words) said, “You know, it would be a shame if you wind up driving a truck.” – Daniel Merriam (BSC News)
