OLGA MERRILL

Olga Merrill is a visual artist primarily using the medium of photography. She was born in the Far East of Russia on April, 1971. 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 she 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 visual art started playing a significant role in her life. Her works have been shown at P Gallery, Minneapolis, USA, Foto- Foto Gallery, Huntington, NY, USA, Malta Postal Museum, Vallette, Malta, Fondazione Luciana Matalon, Milan, Italy, PH21 Contemporary Photography Praxis Gallery, Budapest, Hungary and many other galleries around the United States and in Europe. Her works have been featured in l’Oeil de la Photographie, Dodho and YourdDailyPhotograph among others. 

Olga’s limited and open edition prints are available at galleries and held by private collectors throughout the world. “I hardly recognize myself as a photographer. I use photography as a tool – like an instrument to make music or a brush for painting – to create an image of my vision, with a dreamy and indirect relationship to external reality. I do this in varying styles. Some images are essentially representative photography of the world around me that nevertheless dissolve into the wonder of abstract pattern, while others are complex manipulations of the ordinary visual world that use intentional camera movement, multiple exposures, and well planned color pallets to reflect my vision, dreams and feelings. Abstract photography with endless creativity became a passion for me and I am happy that I found the way to express myself through this style.”