Customer Reviews

The Art of Daniel Merriam: The Impetus of Dreams

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I first saw Merriam's work in an issue of an art magazine, and was staggered by the quality of the images. Merriam apparently started out to be an architect, and thus his paintings are minutely correct as to things, alas, too many surreal painters ignore -- perspective, believability, details. He does fantasy without "cute", whimsey without stupidity, and is obviously breaking new ground. If the skill of Salvador Dali impresses you, but his subjects depress you, then look at Merriam -- absolutely great.

This 10-year retrospective completely sold out in the first printing. That should tell you how much you need to have this book; once you get your hands on it, don't loan it out -- you'll never get it back!

I am an aspiring illustrator and am always looking for great art and illustrations to inspire me. When I first saw The Art of Daniel Merriam i was awe struck. It was amazing to see so much color and creativity packed into each piece. This book is loaded with images to stimulate the mind. Each piece has a story to tell in itself with so much detail and symbolism. I truly commend this artist on his style, skills, and creativity. I am always eagerly awaiting a new book by Mr. Merriam. This book takes you to a whole new world in your imagination, I suggest you take the trip...truly amazing.

Daniel has captivated the mind's eye with his wonderful use of watercolor. His paintings reach out and touch the souls inspecting his work. The beginning of his paintings is magical and fanciful, yet reality is setting in back. Daniel Merriam is trying to say something perhaps about his past, his life, his rebirth. Beautiful work, seeing it will make you enjoy the gift of dreams. Theres something there though, something captivating that others cannot sense, something lurking in the shadows. The mystery of it all that makes it beautiful. I hope others that study his work can feel it.

I have fallen in love with this wonderful artist. His imagination must be a fantastic place to be and you can get an insight into it with this beautifully done book. Of all the art books I own, this is the one that I find everyone loves...even children. His work is light and airy and enchanting one minute until you realize there is an underlying darkness to his work which just makes it even more interesting. His world is a fabulous place to visit.

I was given this book as a gift, and I was in awe. I'd never seen soo much done with water colour before. I've owned the book for a few years now, and have two tattoos based on excerpts from two of his paintings. I've been searching for another book of his art but have not been successful, so hopefully someday!

i found myself in a world i only dreamed of when i strolled into an art museum one evening visiting san fran, i fell in love...i was trancended into architecture ,love ,hate all the emotions of something familiar,yet far away...now all i do is daydream of actually owning a piece of artwork by merriam..i hope that it doesnt stay a dream for me forever...Love you Daniel
-mykelle

I've seen some of his other works posted on the web, and he needs to publish another book!

A great collection showcasing his style, from intricate dollhouses suspended in nature, to cascades and showers of rainbow elements, to stony vines, this is a great book. Again, I've seen other pieces of his on the web which add a new dimention to his volume of work--so he hopefully will publish again!

I was fortunate to view some of Merriam's work at a small art gallery in Santa Fe. I purchased this book and flip through it often to spark my own creativity. Though he has an incredibly unique style of his own, there are some works which remind me of Salvador Dali and Susan Seddon Boulet paintings. His amazing attention to detail and the complexities of his pieces are just surreal. This book would make a great gift for anyone who loves watercolor, fine art or fantasy art.