ABOUT JAY

Jay Merrill is a Western Massachusetts-based artist who works primarily with charcoal, graphite and other drawing mediums. His artwork reflects his background in drawing and illustration as well as his undergraduate work in conservation ecology. Jay's practice blends various drawing methods with writing, meditation, and observation.

His educational background spans both classroom and field studies. Having spent a majority of his life exploring the Northern Forests and coastal waterways of New England, Jay utilizes his knowledge and understanding of the environment to create his work. 

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am driven by a desire to connect to natural spaces. Many of my pieces are drawn on unorthodox surfaces, like tree trunks, on ground in the shadow of a tree, or in an open field during a rainstorm.

My work is a product of deep observation of nature. I examine the relationship the elements have with one another. I'm interested in the nature of things, the characteristics and behaviors formed through cohabitation. Through this kind of study, I create work that expresses the visual language of place and time. 
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Much of the work is an imprint of the natural world. It’s also an indexing of biological patterns. Drawing (rubbing) bark patterns on paper honors the tree that, one day, will be gone. Capturing a shadow on paper records a moment in time. Witnessing the patterns formed between a medium, organic substrate and a rainstorm helps me understand how water and wind carves the land. 

The artwork is process driven. Elements of the natural world are used in making marks on the page which gives agency to both living and nonliving worlds.This collaboration with the environment removes any interpretation of patterns. By removing my hand, or giving it a new role in mark making, the drawing process expands from traditional drawing techniques to a number of new methods.The natural world is an endless gallery of tools for making marks on paper. Tree bark, leaves and needles, rocks and soil, it’s all available and abundant.

There's a big beautiful world out there. Explore it. Protect it. Draw upon it. Love it. 

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