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Merlyn was born in England, and grew up in Hong Kong, returning to England to study Fine Art at Bath Academy of Art,  Corsham, where she obtained a B.A., and from Bath University a Dip. Ed. She is a woodblock printmaker.  

Merlyn is on the Council of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.


EXHIBITIONS

2024
  • Sladers Yard, West Bay. Dorset.
  • Rachel Bell Contemporary, Hampshire
  • Circle Contemporary Cornwall
  • Bankside Gallery, London
  • London Art Fair
  • LUX, Lincoln Nebraska, USA
  • Zillah Bell, Thirsk, Yorkshire

2023
  • Sladers Yard, West Bay, Dorset
  • Rachel Bebb Contemporary Hampshire
  • Circle Contemporary Wadebridge, Cornwall
  • 'Arbor' at Sculpture by the Lakes Dorchester Dorset
  • Battersea Affordable Art Fair with New Atlantic Wave Collective
  • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
  • London International Original Print Exhibition at Bankside Gallery
  • London RWA Annual Exhibition
  • Bristol Society of Wood Engravers 86th Annual Exhibition
  • RNLI fundraising exhibition , Yacht Club, Instow
  • Appledore Book Festival
  • Small but Mighty, Bankside, London

2022
  • 19th November - 4th December 2022. Christmas  Exhibition Lanacre Barn Gallery, Withypool
  • London Original Print Fair 37th Edition, at Somerset House. Showing with the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.
  • 26-29th May 2022. LUX Surface Impressions 2022 Lincoln, Nebraska USA.
  • June 11th-July 16th 2022. Contemporary Cuts: Images of Land and Sea by leading British Printmakers, at St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington
  • June 14th - September 6th. Still Waters - four contemporary artists at Brook Gallery, Budleigh Salterton

2021
  • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

2020
  • London Original Print Fair at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, with Brook Gallery. 1st – 3rd May.
  • Work on current display at The Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, and the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey, Devon.
  • Society of Wood Engravers 82nd Annual Exhibition, selected.
    This show travels to Bankside Gallery in London, Zillah Bell in Thirsk, North Wall in Oxford, Northern Print in Newcastle and other venues during this Centenary Year.
  • Group Exhibition - CIRCLE Contemporary Cornwall UK

2019
  • Lanacre Barn Gallery, Exmoor. September 20th-October 6th.  Pine Feroda and individual work.
  • Bankside Gallery, London, in group show throughout the year, including selected for The MASTERS : Relief, from 13th-24th November.
  • Eton Drawing Schools, Eton College, Windsor. 14th September – 15th October. Pine Feroda and individual work.
  • Society of Wood Engravers Annual Exhibition 2019. Selected.
  • Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries. 10th-19th October. Selected.
  • Galeri Astley, GG Print Studio, Uttersberg, Sweden. Group exhibition.
  • Gallery Nine, Margaret’s Buildings, Bath. November 8th through December.
  • Group Exhibition - CIRCLE Contemporary Cornwall UK

2018
  • Pine Feroda at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
  • MC and Pine Feroda at Circle Contemporary, Cornwall
  • Exhibitor, Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London, in group shows throughout the year.
  • Exhibitor in The Society of Wood Engravers 81st Exhibition.
  • Group Exhibition - CIRCLE Contemporary Cornwall UK

2017
  • ​The Plough, Torrington
  • Pine Feroda at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
  • Pine Feroda at Surface Cutting at the Royal Academy, London,curated by Eileen Cooper RA.
  • With Pine Feroda at The Drawing Schools, Eton College, Windsor.
  • Group Exhibition - CIRCLE Contemporary Cornwall UK

2016  
  • Rebecca Hossack, 2a Conway Street, Fitzroy Square, London
  • Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey, Devon  
  • RE Original Prints, Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London
  • Group Exhibition - CIRCLE Contemporary Cornwall UK

2015  
  • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London - Atlantic roller   
  • ​Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk. Group show curated by Norman Ackroyd

2014
  • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London - a prevailing wind

2013
  • Royal Academy Summer Show, London - Bent tree
  • Demonstrator, Art in Action, Oxfordshire

2012
  • Shanghai International Printmaking Exhibition, China

2011
  • Demonstrator, Art in Action, Oxfordshire 
  • "Spirit of the Tiger", a series of large woodcuts embodying the Asian tiger


2010
  • Exhibitor in 9th Lessedra World Art Print Annual, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Exhibitor in Miniprint Finland, Lahti Art Museum
  • One person show at Taller Galeria Fort, Cadaques, Spain
  • Teacher and exhibitor at Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxfordshire
  • Exhibitor, ‘Make’, at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen
  • Exhibitor in the Society of Wood Engravers 73rd Annual Exhibition, Bankside, London
  • Joint show with Philip and Frannie Leach at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester

2009

  • Demonstrator and exhibitor, Art in Action, Waterperry, Oxfordshire
  • Demonstrator and exhibitor, Cressing Temple

2008

  • The Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, May’08, 2 person show
  • Ruskin Mill, Gloucestershire, September’08, 2 person show
  • ‘ Made To Think’. Short course tutor’s Summer Show at The Sussex Barn, West Dean College, Chichester
  • Exhibitor in ‘Footprint’ 1st Biennial International Print Competition, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, U.S.
  • Exhibitor in the Society of Wood Engravers 71st Annual Exhibition, Bankside, London

2001-2007

  • Royal West of England Academy, Open Print, Bristol
  • ‘Here and There’ one person show in Marine on St Croix, Minnesota for the Science Museum of Minnesota.
  • North Devon Festival, two-person printmaking show at Appledore Craft Company. Society OF Wood Engravers 69th Annual Exhibition group touring show. Illustration in Monoprinting, pub. A&C Black
  • Red Forge Collective Exhibition Corsham, Wilts
  • Group Show, Stillwater Public Library, Science Museum of Minnesota

1985-2000

  • Artwork for Wildlife Fund Thailand
  • Illustration for Sawasdee, Thai Airways Inflight magazine
  • Invitation by Royal Government of Bhutan to travel through Bhutan to promote the country through painting.
  • One-person show at the National Liberal Club, Whitehall, London
  • Manhattan Graphics, NY, group show
  • The Walk, London, SE1, summer group show

1977-1985

  • Contemporary Hong Kong Biennial Exhibition, City Hall
  • Save the Children Fund Exhibition, The Mandarin, Hong Kong.
  • Contemporary Hong Kong Biennial Exhibition, City Hall
  • China Coast Community Exhibition, The Mandarin, Hong Kong
  • One-person show at IDL, Lane Crawford’s: ‘Paintings and Illustrations of China and Bhutan’
  • Contemporary Hong Kong Biennial Exhibition, City Hall
  • Cover for Asia Week: The Dalai Lama
  • Group show ‘Western Eyes Look at the Orient’, Landmark, Hong Kong
  • Contemporary Hong Kong Biennial Exhibition, City Hall
  • Winner of Urban Council Fine Arts Drawing Award
  • Urban Council of Fine Arts Award Winners Exhibition, City Hall, Hong Kong
  • Plant illustrations for ‘Twelve Hong Kong Walks’, published by OUP


AWARDS, GRANTS, RESIDENCIES, 
COMMISSIONS, RESIDENCIES AND MEMBERSHIP
2018 
  • Artist-in-Residence at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong.
  • Residency at Graphic Workshop Godsmagasinet, Uttersberg, Sweden

​2017  ​Arts Council Award to study at the Purple Bamboo Studio, Hangzhou, China,  with Pine Feroda

​2014  ​Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers

2012
  • Residency, Guanlan Print Base, Guangdong, China
  • Steward, Artists General Benevolent Fund (AGBI) 
  • Representative in Printmaking on the Selection-Election Committee of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen

2011
  • Made an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Bankside Gallery, 48, Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH

2010
  • Winner, ADOGI 29th Mini Print International of Cadaques, Spain

2008
  • Designs selected by the Mayor of Tirana, Albania, to decorate two Communist era buildings in the capital. Joint project with Rod Nelson.
  • Member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen

2007
  • Winner of competition to design St. George’s field wall mural, Bideford. Co-designed with Rod Nelson.
  • Commissioned to design and execute six acoustic panels, with Rod Nelson, for Pound Arts Centre, Corsham, Wiltshire.

2002
  • Tarka Country Millenium Award to set up printmaking workshops in Hartland, Devon.
  • Devon Community Foundation Local Network Fund grant to run open-access printmaking workshopshops in Hartland, Devon
  • Arts Council England Award to develop a series of large-scale woodcuts.
  • Artist in Residence, St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota. ‘Enhancing environmental awareness and scientific understanding through the aesthetics of art’.
  • Awards for All grant to run printmaking workshops, Devon.
  • Local Network Fund to continue printmaking workshops.
  • UnLtd. Millenium Award.
  • Limited edition woodcut for Chichester Writing Festival


WORK IN THE COLLECTIONS OF:

  • City Hall Museum of Art, Permanent Collection, Hong Kong.
  • Princess Ashi Tashi Dorji of Bhutan
  • Lord & Lady Wilson of Tillyorn. Simon & Caroline Bowes Lyon, Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire
  • The Edward James Foundation, West Dean College, Chichester
  • ​The Victoria and Albert Museum, London
  • Ashmolean Museum, Oxford


TEACHING:

  • 2000 – 2010: Link Tutor with the Pupils Out Of School Team, Devon Learning and Development Partnership, Devon County Council
  • 2005- 2022: Short Course Tutor, The Edward James Foundation, West Dean College, Chichester.
Woodblock Printing : Merlyn Chesterman - Patrick Goff writes