John Merlino

I have been involved with the arts for many years, probably ever since I could pick up a pencil and draw.  While still very young I was able to commute to Buffalo from my home in Eden to attend weekly classes studying under Anthony Sisti in his studio and also attending classes at the Albright Knox.  I graduated from Eden Senior High School and went onto Daemen College in Amherst, NY where I studied Art History with an emphasis on human figure drawing and painting. My focus was always on artistic achievement especially in relationship to natural beauty and landscape.  I have found that working with dry brush watercolor has been the perfect medium to express my artistic vision.  There is a constant building up or weaving of texture and color that gives way to my heightened realism.  There is also a need for my creation of mixed media collage & abstract themes.  I am constantly searching for diverse subject matter in relationship to both spiritual and organic form, rendering these onto a two dimensional surface, a never ending series of projects.