JustArts Gallery
Tulsa, OK
Elevating the creative voices of people confined to carceral institutions across the US.
MessageCollection: Chad Merrill
Chad is an artist from Mesa, AZ, whose main mediums are painting and writing, with particular attention to ink painting and poetry.
“I have seen and exercised the darkest part of my nature, I've revealed and encouraged the demons of others. I know the thrill and taste of blood and have learned that the world only owns one thing worthy of fear - the darkness of self.
Whichever direction you go - into the dark or into the light - you must master yourself. We who have the capacity to delve the darkest depths mirror that capacity in our ability to pursue the lofty throne of greatness. Because of this, darkness which leads one to hunger for the light, is the greatest of pursuits. This is my journey, I continue to climb from the realm of self-despise, and through the medium of my art, seek a liberation that only a very few can know - in the absence of pitch black darkness, light owns no meaning.
I am the epitome of killing one's self to live where agony and bliss show themselves to be identical in the intersections of existence. That is where my art comes from and it's why tortured souls like Cobain, Cornell, Doc, X, - are most often the medium of my expression. One paints what he knows and if I know anything, I know self-torture and despise. I paint to liberate myself, to know I can create beauty as well as despair.”
Chad is featured in an online exhibition and blog post through Bader + Simon Gallery.
See more of Chad’s artwork here and follow him on IG @chadmerrillart.
