A Message

Ten years ago I couldn’t paint a realistic face if someone had offered me two million dollars. Truly!! Today, I have achieved the dream of painting portraits that will inspire and uplift others. What made the difference? Commitment to studying and learning as much as I could from those who had the talents and skills that I wished to emulate. The ability to paint well did not come easily and it did not come over night! It took years of studying the techniques of the old masters and trying to implement their techniques into a style I could call my own. I made so many mistakes and threw away countless “failures;” however, eventually . . . I became more competent and skilled. It was worth the price I had to pay of my time, finances and emotions!

I still have a long way to go to achieve the skills I want to have in my career; however, the gift that I choose to give to others is the ability to share what I have learned along the way. Therefore, the Merrill Fine Arts Studio was created to assist you in achieving your dreams of being an artist or becoming a more technically skilled artist. The manual is just the beginning of sharing with you some of the information that I have gained along the way.

Begin to collect information of your own and add it to this manual. Never stop learning, growing and studying. Don’t worry about making mistakes, every successful artist has had to go through growing pains and you will not be any different. Remember . . . “Every Artist Was First An Amateur.”

Wishing you much success!!