New paintings from Imaginary Surrealist Daniel Merriam

WHAT | New paintings from Imaginary Surrealist Daniel Merriam, The Greatest Show on Earth

WHERE | AFA, 54 Greene Street @ Broome

EXHIBITIION | May 26th - June 20, 2012

RECEPTION | May 26th from 6-8pm, rsvp@afanyc.com

MORE INFO | Heidi Leigh at heidi@afanyc.com or 212.226.7374

GALLERY HOURS | Mon. - Sat., 10am - 7pm and Sun., 11am - 6pm

PREVIEW | Here

Although life in the circus depends on discipline, struggle and sacrifice, it is divergent thinking that is the catalyst for the magic. This show is dedicated to the performer and the double lives they must lead.

"It has been said by many artists that art is often the result of a struggle. I can attest to this based on years of devoting my abilities to an art form heavily reliant on discipline. Both the body and the mind are fully employed in such an effort.  In my case it is the urge to create ever upstaged challenges both in my paintings and my real life as well, that gets me from frenzy to frustration to exhaustion.  I strive to work sculpturally and architecturally as I paint. Each time the environment becomes more of an obstacle as I encounter the physical limitations inherent with being human."

Born in 1963 in a rural town in Maine, Daniel Merriam is one of seven artistic children. He taught himself to paint at a very young age, and used his art as a method of reflective play throughout his childhood. He went on to study mechanical and architectural design at Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute. While still in school, he applied his dimensional skills and passion for architecture to his family's design and construction business.In 1986, Merriam shifted his focus solely to fine art, and later that year had his first solo exhibition in Maine. Since then, his exhibitions throughout the United States & Europe  have been lauded and achieved critical acclaim. Merriam's work is included in countless private collections and in such public collections as The Riverside Museum of Art in California, The Gesundheit! Institute in Virginia, the Manhattan Club in New York, and the Merrill Lynch collection.