Merrie Jo Snow
BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Painter & Printmaker
Merrie Jo is a painter and printmaker drawn to the textures of memory, the mood of place, and the quiet language of shape and color. She earned her BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she first encountered printmaking. The medium became a lifelong companion in her creative process. She also studied sculpture and drawing at Portland State University and continued painting and drawing at Marylhurst University.
Much of her work begins with the landscape, but inspiration can come from anywhere—a color glimpsed in passing, a simple geometric form, or the memory of a place traveled. Her journeys across the U.S., Europe, and Australia continue to shape her vision.
Merrie Jo's process begins with small plein air sketches on paper or iPad that she develops into monoprints in oil or acrylic on paper or canvas. These prints guide the next step: oil or acrylic paintings built with layers of paint using a palette knife and brushes, then scraped and blurred until they reveal a sense of place beyond the literal. She works with an Akua Pin Press for small prints and a Takach press for larger pieces. For Merrie Jo, painting and printmaking are inseparable, each one opening new paths to discovery.
“My goal is to create unique and interesting artwork and
to support and encourage others to follow their artistic vision.”
— Merrie Jo Snow
Painting
I enjoy painting on location and in the studio. My focus is on creating a good composition with interesting shapes and colors. I try to express a moment in time, rather than create a realistic painting. I blur the paint to create a unified surface and build and scrape the painting with my palette knife to create interest and depth.
Printmaking
I create monotype prints on a large format Takach press using etching inks. The process involves painting a reverse image on plexiglass using brushes, rollers and palette knives. The plexiglass plate is placed on the press bed, a sheet of BFK Rives paper placed on top of it, and then run through the press creating a unique print. I find that printmaking and painting are closely related and I like to work on one image both on the Takach press and in paint on canvas.
