Piece description from the artist
Every year when the weather starts to cool at the end of summer, St. Louis’ skies welcome The Great Forest Park Balloon Race. First, the “hare” balloon, which is always the delightfully pink Energizer Bunny hot air balloon, takes to the air, bobbing along where the wind likes. Then the “hounds” are released! Seventy brilliant floating orbs of rainbow take to the skies in an attempt to chase down the Energizer balloon. The hot air balloon to land closest to the Bunny balloon wins. It was such a magical surprise every year to look up and see a parade of balloons drifting overhead. Many of the balloons in my piece are drawings of actual balloons that have raced here in past years or hand-inked prints of images I’ve taken of the race. They’re then cut out and “floated” at different layers in the encaustic wax sky, giving the viewer a fun demonstration of the medium’s range of 3D effects.
Leah Merriman is native to St. Louis, working primarily in encaustics to create ethereal, layered abstract landscapes on wood and paper. She also creates detailed illustrations of urban scenery and architecture and will often combine the two.
Merriman was influenced heavily by personal childhood and young adult illnesses and often found that being able to escape her own physical situation was only possible through her mind. She creates worlds you can "go into” and look around. Places you can stay in for a while, watch the scenery shift light, textures and colors in conjunction with the time of day. By practicing stillness and the awareness of being in the moment, an appreciation of your own mind’s ability to travel inward can be honed while still being acutely aware of your immediate physical world, striking an intriguing balance through the marriage of patience and escapism.
Merriman apprenticed in sculpture and illustration under local St. Louis Master Artist Rudolph Torrini in her late teen and early adult years.
She studied Drawing and Sculpture at Fontbonne University in St. Louis as well as photography and videography at Webster University, St. Louis, MO. She
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