HOOD RIVER — Artist shares her time between the Gorge and Oaxaca, Mexico, where she spends each winter. Both areas offer inspiration for her art. In Oaxaco, Merickel works as a printmaker in Oaxacan printmaking studios. This is where she works on her skill alongside other printmakers.
“It is the cultural traditions, vibrant mythology and social justice issues that influence my way of seeing the world, and then ultimately, the artwork I produce,” she said.
Merickel’s art is currently on display in Hood River at The Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., until Saturday. Her bright colors and detailed storytelling is evident in each piece. Merickel’s art medium is printmaking and each piece is either carved in woodblock, painted, etched or drawn on lithographic stone, or constructed out of recycled materials.
Merickel has been producing art for years and holds many degrees, including a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from Venice, Italy, in 1989. She has studied art and been a teacher of art, including working abroad in Spain, Italy, England and Mexico. Her work has been widely exhibited since 1984.
Merickel loves the “dual life,” as she calls it, of living in both the Columbia River Gorge and Mexico. She feels the time in Mexico offers her a deep dive into the culture and traditions of the Mexican people and in Oregon the ability for her to spend time outdoors and return to nature.
The Narrows, Rogue River
Abigail Merickel print
The Bureau of Land Management — Medford District awarded Merickel, their first art residency. The residency took place at the Rogue River Ranch in southern Oregon. Merickel enjoyed the experience and the further development of her art. She said, “The BLM Artist-in-Residence program promotes a deeper understanding of and dialogue about, the significance of natural, cultural and historic resources on public lands. For two weeks I explored these resources, learning about the ranch and river canyon environment and creating art. From the abundant grounds full of fruit trees, garden, museum, historic buildings to the life-giving waters of the Rogue River, all provided a rich palette for my artistic expression.”
Each piece of Merickel’s artwork tells a story of her travels and experiences. When hiking along the Rogue River Trail, the view and river inspired her to stop and sketch it in watercolor. “The Narrows, Rogue River,” and “Staircase Falls, Rogue River” are inspired by these views in the steep Rogue River canyon, said Merickel. The etchings and lithographs reflect the joy she finds in life in Oaxaca. Her work “Life is a Circus” reflects this joy in daily life in Mexico. “My etching ‘Mensajero de Espíritu’ (Spirit Messenger) acknowledges indigenous people’s animism and the longing for less talking, more listening to the spirits, animals and the Earth,” she said.
In the etching “La Mezcalerita y su burro” (The Little Mezcal maker and her burro), Merickel said she is inspired by the beauty and power of Oaxacan women as creators and sustainers of their rich cultural traditions.
La Mezcalerita
Abigail Merickel print
“I imagine a young Zapotec girl in traditional apron and braids with ribbons from a mezcal-producing family, the friendship between her and the family’s hardworking burro, and her dreams for her life, the paths she may travel, perhaps becoming the jefe of her family’s mezcaleria,” she said. Her “Voodoo Love” collagraph print shares the pain sometimes suffered in love with the Mexican charms called “Milagros,” which represent suffering but also healing.
“Forge Blower and Flowers” illustrates the history of Native American culture, fused with the European roots of the Billings family at the Rogue River Ranch. Adeline Billings was a medicinal healer, skills she learned from her girlhood in the Karok tribe. Yarrow, one of the medicinal herbs she used, still grows on the ranch.
“The lines of the forge blower intrigued me; they stoked the fires of the blacksmith, so important in that era,” she said. “The Billings family history was a true marriage of Native knowledge and European industry.”
Enchanted Pool, Mule Creek
Abigail Merickel print
The gurgling waters of Mule Creek inspired three images: “Enchanted Pool, Mule Creek,” “Newts & Roots” and “Water Sprites of the Blue Lagoon.” The clear turquoise water, flora and fauna and canopy of trees overhead provided a magical, reverent space to swim, paint and contemplate, she said.
Sometimes these worlds fuse together, such as in a piece like “La Angelita del Bosque Eterno” (Little Angel of the Eternal Forest), which is inspired by Oaxacan textile design, the decorative gowns of the Mexican virgins, but also Merickel's love of the Pacific Northwest’s forests and her concern for the environment. "May 'the little angel of the eternal forest' protect and heal us all," she said.
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