About the Artist

Park Merrill, a native Californian, was born in Fortuna, Humboldt County, in 1938. From an early age, Merrill showed signs of an artistic nature.

After high school, Merrill attended Humboldt State College for a year and a half, taking many art courses. Wanting a more intensive art education, he attended the four-year professional art school, Art Center College of Design, located in Los Angeles at that time. Art Center is one of the three most prestigious art schools in the country.

After graduating from Art Center in 1963, Merrill worked as an illustrator and graphic artist, ending his career with 27 years at Lockheed Missiles & Space Company in Sunnyvale. During that time he painted conceptual designs for satellite systems and other high-tech space programs such as Star Wars, Space Station Freedom, and the Hubble Space Telescope.

Since his retirement, Merrill has developed his fine art skills and a style he calls "Soft Impressions of California." These images are from California’s colorful past and present. Painted in oil, they combine pastel colors with soft edges. "This has been the most exciting work I have done to date," says Merrill and it is his hope that the art-viewing public will agree.