About the Artist

     Originally from Utah, Merrily Kulmer is an active participant in the arts community with work in many public and private collections. Merrily's focus over the past 40 years has been teaching and painting in different media, technique, and style. Her passion for many years has been portraiture, and she is a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists. Recently, Merrily was the portrait artist for the Mrs. Utah Pageant.

     Besides painting portraits, Merrily also enjoys abstract painting as these paintings best express her ideas and emotions through symbolism. It is her hope that these paintings invite you to draw your own interpretation while offering you visual cues from the gesture, color fields, and energy. From her experience and membership in the Ching Hai Oriental Painting Association, she mastered the Oriental Brushstrokes of Chinese Calligraphy. This technique allowed her to bring a much-needed simplicity to her paintings and many of her abstract paintings reflect this style. 

     Currently Merrily is using clay as another means of exploration for functional pottery. Making jewelry has become exciting to experiment with as well and is very relaxing.  

     Merrily has  taught in both public school and private workshops. She particularly enjoys teaching intermediate students and finds that she enjoys taking her students to new heights.

     Merrily has also served on the Board of Directors for the Bountiful/Davis Art Center, as well as serving as a member of the Utah Watercolor Association, and the Pastel Society of Utah. She was also a member of the Lamplight Art Gallery in Utah where she serves on the executive board.  Currently, Merrily is a member of the Sonoran Art League and exhibits her work at The Finer Arts Gallery in Cave Creek AZ, and has exhibited her work at the El Pedregal Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

     Merrily also  enjoys hiking with her husband, cross country skiing and spending time with her four grandchildren.