It’s been a long time since a contemporary artist captured the warmth and nostalgia of America like celebrated painter, Merryl Jaye. One might think that Merryl Jaye painted in days long gone. Painting with an absence of artifice, her diverse subjects remind us of times and places in our lives when life was less complicated.

Merryl Jaye’s renowned work is undoubtedly contemporary. Her subjects, however, bring whimsy, pathos and Americana reminiscent of the style of Norman Rockwell. Her beautiful, scenic vistas and depictions of the American landscape have their own distinctive look evoking a romance and majesty of nature as if seen through the eye of a free-spirited impressionist. She manages to capture an innate understanding and sensibility of light. Her love of brilliant color and unedited brushstrokes seem as if she could have daubed them onto her canvas on the avenues of Montemartre. Merryl’s unparalleled portraiture is equally executed with an unrestrained, modern approach, yet her subjects, regardless of social strata, appear to have been painted as if they were nobility. She recreates an uncanny likeness of her models, and even more importantly, captures their true essence.

Raised In Southern California, Merryl Jaye began painting at age twelve. Fascinated by the performing arts, she also studied and sang light opera, winning multiple scholarships. In her late teens, Merryl served her country by entertaining the troops in Vietnam with the USO. After a successful career as a songwriter, recording artist, and having appeared on stage and television, she chose to follow her true passion – painting.

Like her gift of music, Merryl’s art has a harmony of composition like a fine musical score and a “melody” that stays with you. Her subject matter consists of people or places you feel you’ve known before. They appear timeless. Whether it’s her enchanting cottages, her ethereal landscapes, her heartfelt images of children and animals, or her multi-dimensional portraits of both men and women, she paints from truth. Her provocative depictions of women of every ethnicity combine the qualities of sensuality and dignity. “It goes beyond surface beauty,” she says. “It’s a certain mystery and depth of character in their being that inspires me to celebrate their womanhood.”

Merryl’s honest, and sometimes, satirical interpretations of life, invite the viewer to share the privacy of secret moments. She pulls the viewer in by capturing the place one goes when no one is watching. “Juxtaposing the human condition with nature is calming to the soul,” she states. Merryl encourages us to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary. Her work evokes universal, lingering emotions. It inspires.

Merryl Jaye’s original paintings and reproductions are owned and sought after by an ever-widening list of prestigious collectors, including many notables in varied fields of politics, business and entertainment.

for portrait inquiries contact:

Merryl Jaye Studio
15135 Nordhoff St. #10, No. Hills, CA 91343
(818) 891-3920