Olga Merrill was born in the Far East of Russia, on April 9th, 1971 and grew up there until June of 1988.
She graduated from Samara State University of Economics in 1992 and Samara State University in 1996. She lived and worked in Russia until March of 2013 when came to Maine, USA and life changed. At the end of 2015 her life changed even more – she got a photo camera and her view of the world became different through lenses. Photography was a hobby for her father, and she remembers the smell of chemicals from being with him in his darkroom. Who knew that after more than 35 years from her first brief touch of photography, she would become an artist and photography started playing a significant role in her life.
She creates painterly, mysterious, intriguing artworks that bring imagination. Her dreams and her feelings are in her works. Abstract photography with endless creativity and experiences using different techniques and tools became a passion for her, and she is happy that she found the way to express herself through this style.
Olga’s limited and open edition prints are available at galleries and held by private collectors throughout the world.
Awards and Recognition:
2019 14th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, non Professional section, honorable mention,
categories: ”Black and White ”, “Fine Art ”, “Landscape and Seascapes”.
Jurors: Elizabeth Avedon, Rebecca Robertson , Analy Werbin.
2019 1st place winner,15th Annual National Photography Competition Exhibition, Foto- Foto Gallery, Huntington, NY.
Juror: Dan Burkholder
2019 Monovisions Photography Award, Honorable Mention – Fine Art.
2019 San Francisco Bay International Photography Competition, Silver Award
Jurors: Elizabeth Avedon, Ann Jastrab, Julie Grahame, David Garnick
2019 1st Edition Umbra International Photograph Awards , 1st, 2nd place Fine Art Abstract Category , 3rd place Fine Art
Digital Manipulation ( non professional )
2019 13th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers non Professional section, honorable mention
category”Abstract” , honorable mention category “Cityscapes”.
2019 Featured on YourDailyPhotograph.com
2019 5th edition of FAPA – 2018/2019, Nominee in Cityscape category
2018 Malta International Photo Award 18, Top 15 winning the second overall prize, Abstract Category
2018 International Exhibition “Abstract theme “ Juror’s Choice Award, Juror Ross Anderson,
Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, USA
2018 4th edition of FAPA – 2017/2018, Nominee in Abstract category.
2018 Maine Photography Show, Finalist, Juror Peter Ralston, Maine, USA.
Solo Exhibitions:
2019 Solo Exhibition “Spirits and Secrets” 21 June -14 July, Green Lion Gallery, Bath. Maine
https://www.greenlionart.com
Group Exhibitions:
2019 “Primary Source “, Griffin Museum of Photography, Lafayette City Center, Boston, MA, curated by Paula Tognarelli
October 20, 2019 – March 24, 2020
2019 International photography exhibition “Scapes”, Juror Zsolt Bátori, PH21 Contemporary Photography Gallery,
Budapest, Hungary, September 26 – October 19
2019 San Francisco Bay International Photography Exhibition, Silver Award. Jurors: Elizabeth Avedon, Ann Jastrab,
Julie Grahame, David Garnick. Bokeh Bokeh Photo/ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA. 4 – 28 September
2019 2nd Chania International Photo Festival, Chania, Greece, 16 – 24 August
2019 28th annual Maine Open Juried Art Show (MOJAS), Second Place, Photography
category
Common Street Arts Gallery, Waterville , Maine, USA, August 12 – September 7
2019 “Maine Viewpoints: Contemporary Photography and Painting”. Thos. Moser, Freeport, Maine USA.
27 June – 31 December
2019 International group exhibition Urban Lights curated by LoosenArt, Rome, Italy
26th June – 4th July
2019 International Photography Exhibition SUBLIMATIONS Milan 2019″ 6th- 9th June, 2019
Fondazione Luciana Matalon , Milan , Italy
2019 International group exhibition “Moments of Color ” curated by Blank Wall Gallery, Athens, Greece, June 7 – 19
2019 Group Juried exhibition “IMMERSION”, Creative Portland Art Gallery ( 25 April – October 2019)
2019 Malta Postal Museum in Valletta, Malta, Malta International Photo Award 18, February 16 – March 16th.
2019 International photography exhibition “Urban”, Juror Zsolt Bátori, February 14 – March 9th.
PH21 Contemporary Photography Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
2018 International Exhibition “Abstract” theme, Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis , USA
2018 Maine Photography, BRAF Gallery in Boothbay Harbor , Maine, USA
Publications, Blogs, Interviews:
2019 PechaKucha, Volume 33, Waterville , ME. USA
2019 Underexposed Magazine
2019 Issue#2 DejaVu Magazine, Pakistan
2019 “Through a different lens” Times Record, Maine, USA
2019 issue#6 June EYE-PHOTO Magazine (Austria). Photo Review.
2019 Issue#3 June FINE EYE MAGAZINE ( Austria). Featured Artist
2019 May, Photoshop and Photography blog, Los Angeles, USA.
2019 May, Tagree, Web Magazine, Germany
2019 “Sanctuary Seas: Olga Merrill’s Pictorialist Photography by Daniel Kany”
2019 April Issue, LEMAG- Long Exposure Photography Magazine, UK, Featured Artist
2019 April Issue, GetInspired Magazine, Netherlands
2019 Interview with Eva Polak
2019 23 February, “The Eye of Photography, Paris, France
2019 February, Dodho, Barselona, Spain
2019 February, dObally Magazine, Bristol, UK
Upcoming events:
Annual Photo A Go-Go photo show and community auction, The Bakery Photo Collective, Portland, ME, USA
December 2019
Rockport Art Association & Museum National Juried Exhibition 2019, November 23, 2019 – January 1, 2020
RAA&M, Rockport , MA.
15th Annual National Photography Competition Exhibition, Foto- Foto Gallery, Huntington, NY.
Juror: Dan Burkholder.
November 30, 2019 – January 4, 2020
Memberships:
Griffin Museum of Photography
Center for Maine Contemporary Art
https://www.photographize.co/olgamerril
https://1x.com/member/OlgaMerrill
