About the Artist :: Thomas Merriam

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When Tom was just six years old his father would sit him down for hours to copy pictures selected from the National Geographic onto paper grocery bags. These pictures would be drawn over and over until they met Dad’s satisfaction. Tom’s father was a draftsman by trade and could not stress enough the need to pay attention to all of the details.

Tom’s home town of York Harbor, Maine was a hot spot for landscape and seascape artists. He developed a love for these subjects while sitting behind some of the artists and watching them paint.

George Carpenter who claimed to be the last surviving member of the Whiskey Water Colorist Association, let Tom apprentice with him for three years. He taught Tom many of the old ways that water colorists used to practice their trade. Tom learned to paint small in the field so as to catch the mood, to use whiskey in the winter as a wash so his brushes wouldn’t freeze and how to work outside in almost any weather.

“I enjoy painting small. My work fits into odd places that larger paintings don’t and I like concentrating all that color like a jewel into one little spot.”

A Maine native, Thomas grew up in York Harbor and now resides in Naples. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston. He is self-taught and has been painting for over 30 years.