Animazing Gallery Presents Taking Reality by Surprise

Daniel Merriam's imagination is unsurpassed in a world where playfulness and beauty are everything. These new works were inspired by a medieval castle in France where Merriam was an Artist in Residence last summer. Such enormous paintings are unprecedented for the artist, and he had to build new easels in his San Francisco studio to accommodate the tremendous canvases. For the first time, a collection of drawings will be presented along with the paintings, and a new bronze will be unveiled. A cocktail reception for the Artist will be held at Animazing Gallery in SoHo on Thursday May 20th, from 6-9 PM. The gallery is located at 54 Greene Street, on the corner of Broome. RSVPs are requested to rsvp@animazing.com. More information is available online at www.animazing.com or by phone, at 212-226-7374. The exhibition will be up throughout the summer, and is free and open to the public 7 days a week. Monday-Saturday, 10-7, and Sundays 11-6.

Widely renowned as one of the world's best watercolorists, Daniel Merriam emerged on the art scene in his early 20's, and has captured the hearts and curiosity of collectors worldwide. "I often feel that the purpose of my life is to help people remember that their imaginations are like a muscle," Merriam says of his subject matter. Merriam's published works and books are in many important private collections and museums. His paintings were introduced to Europe in a museum exhibition that traveled from Denmark to the Netherlands and Nice. In May 2008 his paintings were showcased with Salvador Dali's in a surrealist exhibition in Sedona, Arizona.
ABOUT THE ARTIST | Born in 1963 in a rural town in Maine, Merriam is one of seven artistic children. He taught himself to paint at a very young age, and used his art as a method of reflective play throughout his childhood. Merriam studied mechanical and architectural design at Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute. While still in school, he applied his dimensional skills and passion for architecture to his family's design and construction business. Merriam's explosive zeal to transform chimera into reality was absolute when he designed Stephen King's, now famous, iron gate that spider webs the entrance to his home in Maine.

He first turned professionally to the commercial art field working as an architectural and commercial illustrator for a number of multi-national corporations. Merriam's illustrations received numerous awards including several Broderson Awards, a New England Scholastic Press Association Award, and an Honorary Masters of Human Letters from the University of New England in recognition of the potential social contribution of his work.

Merriam's true passion always remained painting the expression of his own inner vision. In 1986, Merriam shifted his focus solely to fine art, and later that year had his first solo exhibition in Maine. Since then, his exhibitions throughout the United States have been lauded and achieved critical acclaim. In 1998, Monarch Editions published The Art of Daniel Merriam: The Impetus of Dreams, which captured selections from a decade of the artist's work. In 2005 the book was inducted into the permanent archives of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Merriam's work is displayed in many public collections including The Riverside Museum of Art in California, The Gesundheit! Institute in Virginia and the Manhattan Club in New York. Merriam has painted covers for books by Paula Volsky and Neal Barrett Jr., as well as for international literary journal, The Mid-American Review. The artist'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. Merriam's paintings were recently acquired for the corporate collection of Merrill Lynch.
ABOUT ANIMAZING GALLERY | Since 1984, Animazing Gallery has showcased a unique collection of original and limited edition works, including animation, great American illustration art & fine art that indulges the senses and emotions with color, playfulness and beauty. For more information about Animazing in New York or France visit animazing.com.