Palmarin Merges

The Soul in its Element (Paradise), Final

Merges & McNiel 2009

acrylic & nail polish on paper

9" x 14"

Starlings & ferns, signposts, flowers and maps, a glamour of layered iconography are the result.

Starling Spiral

Merges & McNiel 2010

acrylic & graphite with collage elements on kitakata paper

12" x 9.5"

A collaboration requires trust and the ability to let go.

Set Free the Divine (work in progress)

collage on paper, screenprint, nail polish, acrylic paint, & graphite

From a HUGE pile of random and miscellaneous pieces we culled it all down to the 13 pieces currently at Blackfish Gallery.

Seagull's Last Call

Merges & McNiel 2009

glitter, screenprint on tourist map of Viet Nam, graphite

14" x 9"

(Falcon)

Merges & McNiel 2010

shooting target, acrylic, collaged elements, colored pencil & graphite

13" x 17"

Humans and animals set their sites on securing a safe place to live and raise their young. The nesting instinct & desire to put down roots and create a home is strong in both species.

untitled (work in progress)

collage on paper, glitter, screenprint, acrylic paint & graphite

We sent some pieces back and forth anywhere between 3-6 times via the US Postal Service!

(Raven Falling)

Merges & McNiel 2010

spraypaint, screenprint, acrylic, glitter and machine embroidery on paper

11" x 9"

Stump Town

Merges & McNiel 2010

spraypaint, screenprint, acrylic, colored pencil, glitter and machine embroidery on paper

12" x 9"

Statement »

Patterns of Migration

This series is a collaboration between myself and Julie McNiel. We have explored the theme of migration and the forces that prompt it. Migration of human populations, whether as individual journeys or as larger demographic groups, are generated by many of the same variables that guide animal populations: a search for food, for a new home, for interaction with like others.

As artists, we were also interested in migration, of ideas and experiences. We used a technique called exquisite corpse, a kind of parlor game invented by the early artists of a movement called Surrealism. The resulting artworks are playful, and hopeful explorations and expressions of new found homes. The change from an urban reality to a more rural one, led to imagery inspired by the animals and plants in our new landscapes.