Merryll Saylan lives and maintains a studio in San Rafael, California. Educated with a BA in Design from UCLA and an MA in Art from California State University Northridge, her work has been exhibited in many museums and galleries, including the Renwick Gallery, the American Craft Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery. Her pieces have been included in numerous shows such as Turning Wood into Art at The Mint Museum, Turned Wood Now at Arizona State University Museum, and Objects for Use at the American Craft Museum. A leader in the use of color and texture on wood and a valued authority in wood turning method, Saylan’s writings on art, techniques, and the woodturning field have been published in books and magazines.

Saylan’s influence in the wood and craft communities is also felt through her teaching practice and her involvement in numerous arts organizations, serving on the boards of both The Wood Turning Center and the American Association of Woodturners. Saylan participated in Artist-in-Residence programs in the United States and England including Grizedale Sculpture Park, Cumbria, England; International Turning Exchange sponsored by The Wood Turning Center; and Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Colorado. In 1998, she was awarded an Individual Artists Grant by the Marin Arts Council.

“ Form, contrast, pattern, texture and color are primary themes in my work. Bowls and platters serve as my canvas on which to investigate and explore surface manipulation and visual images. The nature of wood – with its inherent differences in color, grain, texture and density – offers the ground for experimentation with pigments and texture. The recent multiples and installations allow for more complex studies by the juxtaposition of one piece to another. Environment has always affected my work: living next to a salt marsh with the movement and patterns resulting from tidal action is reflected on my surfaces. I have been influenced and attracted to the work and themes of artists such as Morandi, Wayne Thiebaud, Alice Martin, and Hans Coper.”