Melissa J Merritt

For more information about prints and available originals please contact: merritt2871@yahoo.com Instagram: @honeybeemerritt

Prickly Pear in Red 16″ X 20″

Mollie’s Strawberries 12″ X 18″

Hot Pink Barrel Cactus 12″ X 15″

Dalea Foliosa Leafy Prairie Clover for Nicolette 12″ X 15″

Pink Magnolia 24″ X 30″

Violet Sunrise Prickly Pear 24″ X 30″

Pink Mountain Ball Cactus 12″ X 15″

Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus in Yellow 12″ x 18″

Hawthorne Berries 24″ x 30″

Blue Poppies in Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden 12″ x 18″

Foxglove on Islay RSPB Loch Gruinart 12″ X 18″

Thistle, Hillwalking in the Whangie 12″ x 18″

Pumpkin Flower 12″ X 14″

Sun Drop Primrose 12″ X 14″

Piñon 12″ X 14″

Purple Robe Locust 12″ X 15 1/2″

Penstemon 10″ X 12″

Gamble Oak in the 4th of July Canyon 24″ X 24″

October in the Mountains-Aspens in Autumn 40″ X 60″

Sunflowers in Red 10″ X 16″

Murmuration Triptych- 3- 30″ X 60″

Daffodils 9″ X 9″

Crown of Thorns 9″ X 12″

Ghost Rider Gulch-Madrid, New Mexico 12″ X 16″

Wisteria 16″ X 20″

Garden for Jennifer 16″ X 20″

Autumn Altar 30″ X 40″

Thistle 9″ X 12″

Study in Violet 11″ X 14″

Day Lilly in Jerry’s Pasture-Oklahoma Commelina

Sugar Maple & Oak- 4th of July Canon

Sunflowers in Yellow 29″ X 39″

Yerba Mansa 16″ X20″

Indian Paintbrush in Lime 16″ x 18″

Hot Orange Claret Cup Cactus 16″ x 18″

Hot Pink Yellow Prickly Pear 10″ x 18″

Morning Glory 10″ X 20″

Cholla Garden 40″ X 50″

Orange Prickly Pear 16″x 20″

Red Hedgehog Cactus 16″ X 20″

Madrid Coal and Native Grass 16″ x20″

Indian Rice Grass 20″x 24″

Echinacea 18″ X 20″

Agave 20″ x 30″

I photograph my subjects extensively before planning my compositions, taking time to look closely and enjoy the beauty of each plant, puddle or rock. This painting features an agave plant that bloomed outside our second story window, allowing for an unusual view into the heart of the crown of flowers. The plant was host to many pollinators including an army of hummingbirds and served as a great inspiration. Watercolor is my favorite medium because it is just like nature. Or better still, it is part of nature and lends itself so willingly to the cause-to honor the natural world and connect deeply with the plants and beauty that surrounds us. There is nothing so satisfying as watching the water flow and the colors bleed together to become the petals of a flower or the veins of a leaf. I use a grid technique to divide complicated reference into bite-sized pieces. Many artists throughout time, including Leonardo and Chuck Close, have used this method. It is a process for enlarging or scaling up, but also allows for a division of visual data. The real enjoyment comes with treating every shape as a tiny meditation, a practice of living in the moment. You can only ever paint one shape at a time.