About the Artist

Celebrated California wood artist Merryll Saylan has had a long and active career in the wood arts field, serving on the boards of both The Woodturning Center in Philadelphia and The American Association of Woodturners. Merryll has been a leader in the use of color and texture on wood.  Her writings on wood-art, techniques and the woodturning field have been published in several books and magazines.

Early in her career and as a young woman, Saylan challenged the conventions of the wood movement. When the prevailing ethic of the time was one of purity, when only unpainted wood was considered the truest expression for an artist, Saylan applied paint. Before Saylan, wood was treated with a kind of reverence and her application of color was tantamount to revolution.  Her objective from the outset was at odds with tradition. Wood was the material of her art and not the precious objective of it.

Saylan is now a respected teacher and lecturer, and has been artist-in-residence in programs in the US and abroad. Nearly 70 years old, Saylan is a prominent artist whose medium is wood. New York’s Museum of Art and Design acknowledged this in June 2004 when it acquired a piece from Saylan for its permanent collection.

About the Work

Merryll’s urban background, love of nature and colors in the natural environment, inform her work.  The simplicity and purity of Japanese design is also an influence in her pieces. 

“Form, contrast, pattern, texture and color are primary themes in my work. Bowls and platters serve as my canvas on which to investigate and explore surface manipulation and visual images.  The nature of wood – with its inherent differences in color, grain, texture and density – offers the ground for experimentation with pigments and texture. The recent multiples and installations allow for more complex studies by the juxtaposition of one piece to another. Environment has always affected my work: living next to a salt marsh with the movement and  patterns resulting from  tidal action is reflected on my surfaces.  I have been influenced and attracted to the work and themes of artists such as Morandi, Wayne Thiebaud, Alice Martin, and Hans Coper.”

Selected Public Collections

Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlottesville, NC