When you enter the visual world of artist Richard Merchán, you immediately begin sensing that his is a place where art is driven not so much by desire as by a fundamental and almost life-sustaining need. You understand that Richard almost had no choice. Better still, you grasp that he never questioned that from the day he was born in Venezuela: Art and the desire to create art in the form of paintings, music, and sculpture were going to be his life. It’s the way it was—and always will be.

His love of and devotion to art and music permeate every aspect of his life, and the level of joy they bring to his world is obvious in his demeanor as an individual, artist, musician, husband, father, and friend. Merchán’s work has a distinct and meaningful way of lifting the spirits, suggesting that you may want to shed the skin of your everyday life and take a plunge into the cool, silent depths of a pool of water. Or lie silent and bemused, draped across a plush chaise longue covered in sensual fabrics of deepest reds and dreamscape blues. His work pulls you in, sits you down, and demands that you stay for a good long while.

For some people, staying that good long while translates into making numerous pieces of Richard’s work part of their daily lives. They cannot get enough of the color, the light, the form and freedom of his work. You will find yourself experiencing that same pull into the color and light. You, too, will want step away from yourself and spend some time indulging in the atmosphere of Richard Merchán.

–EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK–Introduction by Marta Bright