Merika Adams Gopaul

Red and orange ”clashed” according to my Claude Monet-obsessed mother. Art was a part of my life from the beginning with art museums trips and childhood lessons. As an only child of parents of modest means, I was encouraged to study for an occupation where one could make a living, so I became a social worker. It didn’t feel right. During a field placement at a Day Treatment Center as a MSW student, I met the artist Robert Miles Parker and it changed my life. I recognized the degree of passion I had for the art projects we were doing with our treatment center clients was something not to be ignored. Self-actualization was all the rage. I left social work and volunteered to work for free at San Diego’s oldest fine art gallery and eventually was hired.

Nature, the flora and fauna, is my inspiration. I am particularly interested in color and texture. Early works were landscapes, coastal scenes, urban surroundings, and still life, acrylic paintings often in a pointillist’s technique. Currently I am interested in exploring abstraction and non-objective work using bold color and design.

Painting near Barrett Junction 1993 |24"x36" acrylic on canvas | 742.18.04

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All Art © by The Artist