Please join us to celebrate the opening of God Bless Art: The Portraits of Earle Merchant. This program is free and open to the public.

Earle T. Merchant (1903–1997) was an attorney and self-taught artist who lived in East Gloucester his entire life. In the early 1960s, Merchant took up portrait painting and volunteered as “monitor” of sketch groups at the Rockport Art Association. Over a span of 20 years, Merchant captured the likenesses of hundreds of Cape Ann residents, from Floyd the Clam Digger to district judges, ministers and businessmen.

Writing in the 1990 edition of the Rockport Art Association’s 70th annual exhibit catalog, Earle Merchant had this to say about his painting:

I am, essentially, a self-taught artist. My earlier works leaned towards the primitive, but they became less of that style as I progressed. I like people, especially children. This probably accounts for achieving notable likenesses in finished portraits. I value highly my companionship over the years with so many talented fellow artists. Cape Ann is fortunate to have such high quality artists. God bless art and its Associations.