Arts & Blessings
Gorham, ME
Hi, I’m Merri. I love the magic of creating. I enjoy watching watercolor flow in tiny rivers and puddles on paper, acrylics piling up to a rocky terrain and mixed media art supplies working together in mysterious ways. I love the magic of colors reorganizing into something that didn’t exist before and bringing life to the page.
As a child, I loved experimenting —discarding instructions for exploration to figure things out. Textures begged me to reach out and touch them. I loved to sew-making up my own patters or or using no pattern at all. I loved to be creative in many ways: card making, painting, writing, sewing, book making, etc.
My creativity and unique way of thinking were put to use in my work with children and adults with developmental disabilities and mental illness. People with autism intrigued me the most, as I tried to think as they seemed to think—see the world as they saw it—in order to connect with them and be able to teach them new things. These are the interesting people in life.
Later on, after having 4 beautiful children, 2 of them with autism, I rediscovered writing through my blog about raising children with autism. After my kids were older, I gravitated toward art to express myself. After seeing beautiful work painted on the thin pages of a bible, I knew I had to learn how to do this. I followered several artists and soaked in all the art teaching I could. As I shared my work, I found I loved to encourage others through art. Everyone sees what God means for them to see. These “touches from God” inspires me to keep learning and creating.
I am inspired by nature, music, children, and the interesting people in life. I live in Southern Maine with my husband and children and can be found playing with toddlers in the nursery at her church, walking her adorable Maltipoo, Boomer, exploring the woods nearby or sitting at my tiny desk that serves as my art studio.