Dave Merrick
Encyclopedia
David Louis Merrick is an internationally published artist specializing in oil-on-canvas
and oil and acrylic
on artboard, portraiture of both people and wildlife. Many of his published wildlife pieces have become some of America's most popular animal imagery.
Dave's career as an artist began as recently as 1989 after working a variety of jobs, which included building cabins and riding the rails as a brakeman
. Rediscovering his talent for art, Dave worked briefly for a design studio, but his growing popularity soon forced him to devote more of his time to outside commissions.
Since opening his own studio in Colorado
, Dave has done several portraits in the private and commercial sector nationally and abroad, and has also been commissioned to do wall murals for several well-known organizations (including Hilton Hotels
, Kraft Foods
, etc.). He currently has more original work in the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame than any other artist. He has done pieces of and for many celebrities including; United States presidents, movie stars, and nearly all of the most famous cowboys of the 20th-century. Some of his subjects and/or clientele have included: Tom Selleck
, Burt Reynolds
, Disney Studios
, MGM, Western Horseman
Magazine, The Franklin Mint
, The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
, The State of Nebraska
, The Holland Corp., Wrangler, Kellogg's, various banking organizations, Smith Music Company of Nashville TN, The University of Texas, The DuPont
Registry, Nebraska's Coach Tom Osborne, Jim Shoulders
, Larry Mahan
, Lane Frost
, Tuff Hedeman
, Tom Ferguson
, Fred Whitfield
, Casey Tibbs
, Merle Haggard
, Roy Clark
, Willie Nelson
, Michael Martin Murphy and many others.
A lifesize painting of ‘Jesus the Christ’ was recently completed for the Crystal Cathedral
's new building in Garden Grove, California
.
Oil on Canvas
Oil on Canvas is a live album by the British band Japan, released in 1983 by Virgin Records. Although it is a live recording of their established material, the album also contains three new studio tracks , recorded separately by Sylvian, Sylvian/Jansen and Barbieri respectively...
and oil and acrylic
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
on artboard, portraiture of both people and wildlife. Many of his published wildlife pieces have become some of America's most popular animal imagery.
Dave's career as an artist began as recently as 1989 after working a variety of jobs, which included building cabins and riding the rails as a brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
. Rediscovering his talent for art, Dave worked briefly for a design studio, but his growing popularity soon forced him to devote more of his time to outside commissions.
Since opening his own studio in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Dave has done several portraits in the private and commercial sector nationally and abroad, and has also been commissioned to do wall murals for several well-known organizations (including Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
, Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, etc.). He currently has more original work in the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame than any other artist. He has done pieces of and for many celebrities including; United States presidents, movie stars, and nearly all of the most famous cowboys of the 20th-century. Some of his subjects and/or clientele have included: Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, Disney Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, MGM, Western Horseman
Western Horseman
Western Horseman, a monthly magazine published by the Magazine Division of Morris Communications, was first published in January 1936. It features articles on Western riding, the breeding and care of horses, horse training and tack, and ranching...
Magazine, The Franklin Mint
Franklin Mint
The Franklin Mint is a private corporation founded by Joseph Segel in 1964. The private mint operated from Wawa, Pennsylvania but that operation has now closed...
, The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...
, The State of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, The Holland Corp., Wrangler, Kellogg's, various banking organizations, Smith Music Company of Nashville TN, The University of Texas, The DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
Registry, Nebraska's Coach Tom Osborne, Jim Shoulders
Jim Shoulders
James A. Shoulders, known as Jim Shoulders , is known as the "Babe Ruth of Rodeo".-Rodeo career:Shoulders entered—and won—his first rodeo when he was just fourteen...
, Larry Mahan
Larry Mahan
-Riding career:Mahan broke into professional rodeo at the age of 14. He won the title of World All-Around Rodeo Champion for five consecutive years from 1966 to 1970, and a sixth time in 1973...
, Lane Frost
Lane Frost
Lane Clyde Frost was a professional bull rider and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association member, who died in the arena at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo as a result of injuries sustained riding the bull "Takin' Care of Business".-Early life:Lane was born on October 12, 1963. At that time,...
, Tuff Hedeman
Tuff Hedeman
Richard Neale "Tuff" Hedeman is a retired 3 time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Champion bull rider, as well as the 1995 Professional Bull Riders World Champion, and is the current president of Championship Bull Riding...
, Tom Ferguson
Tom Ferguson
Tom Ferguson may refer to:* Thomas Ferguson , American political scientist/economist and author*Thomas A. Ferguson , official in the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury* Thomas William Ferguson, , American medical doctor and author...
, Fred Whitfield
Fred Whitfield
Fred Dwight Whitfield was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He played from 1962 to 1970, primarily for the Cleveland Indians, but also for with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Montreal Expos. During his prime he had a good batting average and had decent power, hitting 26 and 27...
, Casey Tibbs
Casey Tibbs
Casey Duane Tibbs was an American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor.He was born northwest of Fort Pierre, South Dakota. Tibbs held the "World All-Around Rodeo Champion" title twice, in 1951 and 1955. He also won in 1949, 1951–1954, and 1959, the world saddle bronc riding championship and...
, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, Roy Clark
Roy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Michael Martin Murphy and many others.
A lifesize painting of ‘Jesus the Christ’ was recently completed for the Crystal Cathedral
Crystal Cathedral
The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant Christian church building in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California, United States. It is the headquarters and principal place of worship for Crystal Cathedral Ministries, a church founded in 1955 by Robert H. Schuller and affiliated with the...
's new building in Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
.