The artwork represented here is the studio work of Merriam (Merry) Ryding, living and working in northwestern Pennsylvania.  

I work in a variety of media, focusing on techniques that have played pivotal roles in the history of art, including encaustic, used by ancient Egyptians and Minoans; egg tempera, primarily used in Byzantine and Gothic era painters; woodcut prints, perfected by Japanese artists in the U-kiyo e tradition; and collage or mixed media which transformed the working process of many modern artists.

I am currently captivated by Encaustic.  This medium is ideal for the layered approach I take to painting. Most of my inspiration comes from the landscape around me. I especially enjoy the changing of the seasons, geological formations, and watching weather patterns.  I translate the regional landscapes of the Allegheny mountains where I live, and also take road trips searching out (and easily finding) inspiration in the many varied regions of this wide wild country.
"Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making of something after it is found.” -- James Russell Lowell, American poet and critic