Surrealist art is often highly cryptic and the odd juxtapositions and ambiguous narratives can sometimes feel unnerving. This is understandable given the contradictory space between the subconscious and reality that surrealist artists navigate in their creative process. In the hands of self-proclaimed surrealist Daniel Merriam, however, the results of this process are entirely different. Merriam draws inspiration from both his fantasies and surrounding reality to create works that are both deeply pleasurable and immediately enticing. His imaginative paintings depict fantastical worlds filled with bubbles, flying fish, instrument-playing animals and tree-house castles, all rendered in dreamy watercolors.
Daniel Merriam was born in New York in a big family. He mainly paints with acrylic and watercolors. His works are very complex and insightful, one can practically spend hours on studying these work…
If Daniel Merriam's watercolors were books, they would be fairytales once upon a time in a far away European dreamland. The painter, who is currently exhibiting at AFA Gallery (covered here), compares his process to a writer's. In our recent interview, Merriam told us about the influence of 17th and 18th century Baroque architecture on his works which he draws from memory. Although imaginary, his elaborate structures must be believable in their world, and he builds them out carefully as a point of reference. In this sense, one could also call him an architect.
“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.” CARL JUNG If Hieronymus Bosch took the blue pill instead and sat down to a mad hatters tea party with Marie Antoinette, a hookah-smoking Caterpillar & a couple of unicorns you may just open the curtain into Daniel Merriam's theatre fantastic. A Master American Surrealist painter, his worlds speak to those of us who adored the movie The Labyrinth and found ourselves asking, Why the hell wouldn't she stay with the Goblin King? It's firmly the territory of a child's bubblegum mind. With that nostaligic whisper of storyteller musings, his works refreshingly bring us back to those times before childhood characters were pimped out as playing cards, blockbuster
Daniel Merriam was born in New York in a big family. He mainly paints with acrylic and watercolors. His works are very complex and insightful, one can practically spend hours on studying these work…
“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.” CARL JUNG If Hieronymus Bosch took the blue pill instead and sat down to a mad hatters tea party with Marie Antoinette, a hookah-smoking Caterpillar & a couple of unicorns you may just open the curtain into Daniel Merriam's theatre fantastic. A Master American Surrealist painter, his worlds speak to those of us who adored the movie The Labyrinth and found ourselves asking, Why the hell wouldn't she stay with the Goblin King? It's firmly the territory of a child's bubblegum mind. With that nostaligic whisper of storyteller musings, his works refreshingly bring us back to those times before childhood characters were pimped out as playing cards, blockbuster
Si algunos creadores inciden mucho en el lado oscuro y doloroso de la vida, otros -de los que Daniel Merriam sería un buen ejemplo- optan ...
A body of artwork that was built on a foundation of inspiration, talent and a lot of hard work. American artist Daniel Merriam, has had a very full life, if you get the chance, have a look at his site and his story. I am usually captivated by the art of an artist, but very rarely by the stories they share, if any at all. There aren't a lot of artists that are comfortable sharing that much with others. You usually end up getting a list of achievements to try and distract from their personal life, or you have other people describing the artist and facets of their life. Merriam goes into fantastic and interesting detail, about his life, describing the highs and the lows, explaining how he is grateful for all he has learnt from both. I am not saying that artists that don't want to share are doing something wrong, but that this was a very pleasant surprise and a wonderful read. The beauty of this post is that the art is just as good and interesting, so get comfortable and enjoy this banquet of surrealism and prepare for the feast. The Dragon. Press the Image to Enlarge it. High Tide. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Meeting of the Minds. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Balancing Act. Press the Image to Enlarge it. A Fine Line. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Ahead of His Time. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Drifting Away. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Places to go. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Counting the Minutes. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Changing Views. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Grand Junction. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Honey Jar. Press the Image to Enlarge it. The Strategist. Press the Image to Enlarge it.
The word "escapism" can have a negative meaning, suggesting that escapists are unhappy and unable to connect with the world around them. It sounds like a surreal concept, but in our every day lives, on social media for example, we find ways to divert from reality. Daniel Merriam's recent exhibition at AFA Gallery challenges the notion that escapism is fundamentally negative. "It's not a sin, it's not a crime, it's not a disease... You think of escapism as being denial. So a little bit of escapism is considered good - too much is not," he shares. "Now You See Me: The Art of Escapism" is Merriam's reflection on this idea.
