“In my new body of artwork, I take tattoo drawings from the years 1900-1940 and I blow them up to three- to four-foot high 3D sculptures,” says Merolla. “I stay true to these primitive line drawings and make them larger than life just as they are remembered historically. My reverence for these original designs explains the scale shift.” The exhibit will be hung salon style from floor to ceiling, just as they are presented (in a smaller format) in tattoo shops.
Merolla’s work is inspired by history, politics and Pop Art and has shown in galleries and museums around the world. Her graphic art career began as art director of Tower Records in New York. “I traveled the world training others to make 3D music store displays for the chain. Then for the next 33 years, I founded my own handmade advertising company and made custom 3D displays for the entire record industry, The Howard Stern Show, and FAO Schwarz,” she says.
Merolla was born and raised in New York City, and moved to Narrowsburg in the 1980s, where she currently serves as a Town Councilwoman. “The city cultured me and the country soothes me,” she says..
Acknowledgments
The activities of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance are made possible in part by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
