I'm grateful to artist and teacher Gary Stutler who asked me a key question back around 2002: "You really love dogs. Why don't you allow yourself to paint dogs?"
I've been very lucky to hook up with some enthusiastic, generous plein air artists and got addicted to painting outside. Testimonials
"Kate Merriman is a natural born artist. To be more specific I would have to say that she is one of
the most gifted and intelligent fine art painters I have ever had the chance to work with. She is amazingly good and fast and honest. This all comes through - especially in her paintings of animals. "
Gary Stutler, Artist and Instructor for Napa Valley College, April 2007
“Kate's work is impressionistic, vivid, fun, and sensitive to wonderful details like the curled-under bare feet of a sidewalk artist or the sinuous stem of a radish. Her animal portraits are striking in their energy, humor and poignancy, everything that makes their subjects so well-loved and so unique. Kate seems to commune directly with whomever, and whatever, she paints.”
Beth L., June 2008
"I received the painting!!!! I love it!!!!!! Thank you so much, I'm recommending you to all my animal lover friends. You really did a great job and now I have Sadie with me all the time. It was very emotional seeing her large as life like that, but you really captured her spirit, so thanks." Leslie Arno, July 2009
