Josie Merck, Laundry with Apple

- 13.5" x x 12.25" x 1.25" 

- Watercolor on paper, framed with museum-quality plexi

- The summer season at Tori Jones Studio begins with a new collection of artwork by Josie Merck, lauded artist, Block Island summer resident, and founder of the Ocean View Foundation, a local organization dedicated to environmental education and preservation.

- A conservationist and climate change activist, Merck immediately fell in love with Block Island's open, rugged landscape when she first visited nearly 40 years ago. The island's trees, bluffs, and rolling fields quickly became a favorite subject. Working in a variety of media, Merck's art is defined by personal experiences in nature; much of her work is painted from the captain's walk of her house and the roof of her pickup truck. A longtime resident of Corn Neck Road, this season's show includes modern, vibrant interpretations of summertime vistas and wildlife along this iconic stretch, from Littlefield Farm to Great Salt Pond.

- Born in Canada, Merck lived in Mexico and Brazil as a child, growing up with a love of art and nature, color and celebration. She studied painting at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Yale University School of Art. She also attended Skowhegan School in Maine, the Art Students League, and SUNY Purchase. In addition to her fine art practice and environmental advocacy, Merck is the founder and co-director of The Lost & Found Lab in Cos Cob, Connecticut, an artist's residency created in honor of her late husband, celebrated New Yorker cartoonist, writer, and painter James Stevenson.

- In addition to her artwork, Merck's two books, Present on Block Island– a literary collaboration with island poet Nancy Greenaway and Some Birds of Block Island– a newly published title with island naturalist Kim Gaffett, are available to purchase here.