Artist of the day. Daniel Merriam

"Regarded as one of the world’s foremost watercolorists, Daniel Merriam has captured the hearts and curiosities of collectors worldwide. His paintings are dreams in full color that invite the viewer to join a journey into the imagination, where the worlds of reality and fantasy collide in an explosion of color, shapes and symbolism. Merriam’s unique visions are layered with colorful imagery in a style he calls esthetic dada, reclaiming the territory of romance and dreams for both classical and contemporary art lovers alike. Merriam’s illustrations received numerous awards including several Broderson awards, New England Scholastics Press Association award (for his editorial cartooning), and the University of New England Honorary Masters of Humane Letters in recognition of the potential social contribution of his work. Yet Merriam’s true passion remained painting the expression of his own vision. In 1987 Merriam shifted his focus solely to fine art and the same year had his first solo exhibition at Abacus Gallery in Maine. Since that time, his exhibitions throughout the United States have received rave reviews. In 1998, selections from a decade of the artist’s work were published by Monarch Editions in THE ART OF DANIEL MERRIAM: The Impetus of Dreams. In 2005 the book was inducted into the permanent archives of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Merriam’s work is included in the public collections of The Riverside Museum of Art in California, The Gesundheit! Institute in Virginia, the Manhattan Club in New York, and many others. The artist has painted covers for books by Paula Volsky and Neal Barrett Jr. published by Bantam Books, as well as for an international literary journal, Mid-American Review. Merriam’s work was used for the playbill of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare produced by the Tony® Award-winning McCarter Theatre in New Jersey. Daniel Merriam has been interviewed on WCSH in Portland, Maine, KEYT in Santa Barbara, California, and KUSI News in San Diego, California. He has been the subject of feature articles in numerous national and international publications including The World & I, Art News, Art Business News, Arts & Antiques, and New Art International, among others."