by Stew Mosberg

There is something familiar, yet uncomfortable, in the images created by artist Aubrey Merolanne. Her most recent series of pen and ink drawings, for example, are recognizably inspired by Sir John Tenniel, who illustrated Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. His original drawings are considered to be among the world’s best-known children’s images.

Upon closer inspection of Merolanne’s graphic homage, however, a viewer will find ghoulish undertones and characters that appear zombie-esque in their portrayal, and therein lies the difference between hers and Sir John’s work.

The expertly drawn series by Merolanne, “Nightmare and Wonderland,” possesses a keen sense of the macabre, as if the viewer took one too many tokes on the caterpillar’s hookah.

“Combining reality with the mythical is something humanity is fond of doing,” says Merolanne. “By giving ourselves the option to explain the inexplicable with something slightly fantastical, we embrace the flicker of belief that perhaps there is something more to the story; something unseen.”

Spending her formative years in Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Durango resident grew up inspired by the art of storytelling and yearned, she says, “for the chance to befriend a creature like the smiling, puppy-faced lucky dragon in ‘The Neverending Story.’”

As an adult, she became transfixed with the mystique of cryptozoology, Norse mythology and the shadowy world of the paranormal. Her solid art education, evident in her work today, includes study at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Minnesota and The Art Institute of Chicago, as well as The Minneapolis School of Art and Design.

Merolanne’s mordant but well executed renderings reflect her slightly askew viewpoint on the way things truly look. Artists such as Lichtenstein, Warhol, Basquiat, Duchamp, Christo and Klimt are inspirations for her, but their work is not evident in her own.

By way of explanation, the artist said, “They are shining examples of how society benefits from artistic minds refusing to adhere to what is popular or comfortable.”

To find visual similarity among artists’ works more akin to her own one has only to look at the illustrations of Edward Gorey, Tim Burton and Stephen Gammel – good company in which to be.

Although Merolanne has worked with other mediums such as paint, pastel, charcoal, screen-printing and sculpture, she says inks and watercolors continue to stand-out as favorites. “They feel very intuitive. Ink is great because of the punch it can add to a watercolor painting, and the insane detail it can lend to a drawing,” she said.

Still firmly committed to pen and ink, something of an old-world medium, the artist is currently experimenting with paint pens and it will be interesting to see how her new fascination pans out. “I’m sure a lot of painters feel sort of dubious about them, but since I tend to paint into my drawings when I use color, I think they’re the most amazing thing ever.”

Talking about her career choice, the twenty-something Merolanne once thought she was too young to have anything important to say. “Certainly,” she admits, “there were social issues I felt strongly about, but I had trouble finding my voice, so to speak.  I felt like if I made art just for fun, it wasn’t relevant.”

When she moved to Durango, things began to change. Finding herself with a lot of free time, she decided to pass the time by creating a portrait of her cats and everything developed from that single picture. Searching for that stronger voice, Merolanne hopes to enhance her technical abilities. “I’d love to have a series created by next year that makes people feel something; something that is complex, yet concise in its message,” she explains.

Locals may have seen her work at the Durango Arts   Center, Fort Lewis College or The Lost Dog, as well as in Dolores at the Sideshow Emporium. She is also a member of the Studio &, which is a great place to see her and her art.

Like many of her artistic peers, Merolanne is upbeat about being here. “Durango is an incredible art town,” she enthused. “The community is very supportive of the arts, and the overall perception of local artists is positive.”

Having lived in other places, she has come to the conclusion that the fundamental attitude regarding art is not the same elsewhere as it is in the Animas Valley. “Where I’m from,” she acknowledges, “everyone is much more cynical. There’s more of an ‘Oh, you’re an artist! That’s cute,’ mentality. There’s a lot less pretension in Durango, which is remarkable considering the caliber of talent found in this town.”
Merolanne’s talent has been put to another good use. She recently taught a class at & to eighth-grade girls, paying back to our community and reaping rewards on multiple levels as a result.

The artist’s work is available online at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/GhostCampArt