About the J.D. Merriam Collection
This collection of graphite drawings was done at a time when the need to draw overwhelmed me. I am an instinctual artist.. Almost immediately upon showing a few drawings, an agent approached me and that is how Mr. J.D. Merriam began collecting these drawings.
What a privilege to have someone so knowledgeable as an agent and a collector appreciating what I had accomplished. Unheard of in my world, except for those loyal friends who encourage you along your path.
The need to express whatever was in my subconscious screamed to make known to me vivid imaginative expression that I was unfamiliar with and that would excite me to the core as each rendering manifested itself.
“To see an image emerge which you yourself as an artist has never seen, is nirvana for my creative needs.”
This style of drawing is nothing new. The surrealists, the Dada movement were all inclusive. What is new is how one represents it. I developed a technique which honored the unique images that presented themselves. There is one portrait image that as I saw evolving, and just had to go along with the face that was emerging. Absolutely revere African faces, art.
Mary Hetrick Vecchio
“Our subconscious is stored knowledge of our interpretations of our past.”
Sometimes images would startle me in that they were familiar, but others were just an amazing adventure into the human storage reservoir of unrealized experience, to be released by allowing it to flow from us.
The time spent working on this collection or, for that matter, also painting, took precious time away from my two incredible daughters. In hindsight it was better for them to experience my perseverance. As it has turned out, they are both very talented artists in their own right. I am forever grateful for their patience and understanding.