Collection: Hella Merrill

I think of myself as an alchemist. I initiate a pattern on sheets of brass by applying a mixture of natural solutions. As the metal responds to the solutions, I look for images, patterns and textures with which to work. The process is about exploring light, texture and depth of the image on a hard, flat reflective surface.

The process is slow and requires patience, a skill I learned while working with children during my masters degree work at Napa State Hospital and the Healdsburg school district.

I am fascinated with the form within a form, by the things I can and cannot control. Working with children and watching them make their mark fearlessly was influential to my art offering me a deeper understanding of the Buddhist way of knowing and not knowing, of controlling and letting go.