LUMINOUS SEQUENCES

Betty MERKEN is celebrated for her painterly monotypes and for her perceptive and compelling use of color. She is currently intrigued by the many ways in which her studio practices of painting, printmaking, and assemblages come together to create one-of-a-kind artworks which push the boundaries of conventional printmaking. 
An abstract square artwork featuring a horizontal band of luminous white and light blue fading into dark navy and black at the top and bottom.
A monotype is a one-of-a-kind printmaking process, where the artist rolls ink onto a smooth, non-absorbent surface and then transfers it to paper. This creates a single, unique impression.

11.05.2026 - 11.28.2026

In my Illumination Series of monotypes the edges of a rectangular form become indistinct, making the visual reading of the form ambiguous. These monochrome works on paper, which disclose themselves to the viewer slowly, are inspired by the time I spend in Italy, enthralled by the manner in which Italian light affects color and form. By utilizing fluid, shifting edges, my Illumination Series of monotypes serves as a visual metaphor for the unpredictable fluctuations of human life. Creating these unique works on paper is demanding because I am working against the inherent spontaneity and improvisational characteristics normally associated with the monotype process. It is this tension of pushing the limits of the process which drives me to attempt to make these works look seamless, as if they are colored air, or light. Viewers have often commented on how these Illumination Series of works on paper create sensations similar to those activated by James Turrell’s light spaces.

—Betty Merken, November, 2026.

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35 products
  • Paesaggio by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Paesaggio by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Paesaggio

    $6,500.00 USD
    $6,500.00 USD
  • Correspondence from Rome by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Correspondence from Rome by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Correspondence from Rome

    $3,000.00 USD
    $3,000.00 USD
  • Homage to Catalan Master by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Homage to Catalan Master by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Homage to Catalan Master

    $3,000.00 USD
    $3,000.00 USD
  • Bassorilevo by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Bassorilevo by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Bassorilevo I

    $3,000.00 USD
    $3,000.00 USD
  • Emergence by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Emergence by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Emergence

    $3,500.00 USD
    $3,500.00 USD
  • The Appearance by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries The Appearance by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    The Appearance

    $3,500.00 USD
    $3,500.00 USD
  • Epic by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Epic by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Epic

    $4,000.00 USD
    $4,000.00 USD
  • Illumination, Ultramarine by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Illumination, Ultramarine by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Illumination, Ultramarine

    $3,500.00 USD
    $3,500.00 USD
  • Illumination, Dove Grey by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Illumination, Dove Grey by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Illumination, Dove Grey

    $7,800.00 USD
    $7,800.00 USD
  • Illumination, Pink Sapphire by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Illumination, Pink Sapphire by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Illumination, Pink Sapphire

    $7,800.00 USD
    $7,800.00 USD
  • Torqued Turquoise by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Torqued Turquoise by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Torqued Turquoise

    $2,500.00 USD
    $2,500.00 USD
  • Torque, Citron by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries Torque, Citron by Betty Merken - Davidson Galleries
    Betty Merken

    Torque, Citron

    $2,500.00 USD
    $2,500.00 USD

Betty Merken

Betty Merken is an American painter and printmaker based in Seattle, Washington. She is an accomplished artist with over 100 solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Japan, China, and Italy. Merken's work can be found in the permanent collections of the UCLA Hammer Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Portland Art Museum, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, and the Civita Institute in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy.

Betty Merken co-authored Wall Art, Megamurals and Supergraphics (Philadelphia: Running Press, 1987) with Stefan Merken. She has been honored with awards and fellowships from the BAU Institute in Otranto, Italy and New York (2010 and 2012); The Civita Institute, Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, and Seattle (2011); and the Pinea-Linea de Costa Artist International (2017) in Cadiz, Spain.

Curators and critics often describe Merken’s one-of-a-kind prints as having the authority of paintings, placing her work in dialogue with Josef Albers, Piet Mondrian, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Donald Judd, and James Turrell and affirming her place within modern and contemporary art.
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