Merrill Orr Biography
Born October 31,1965 Ocala Florida
Merrill Orr was born in Ocala Florida October 31,1965. The first of two children of a surrealistic painter and homemaker. Orr was heavily influenced by his father starting at a young age. Orr began his career as a painter due to the positive encouragement and influence of his father. Orr chose sculpting as his vocation, a lifestyle his father highly encouraged and at 16, he began his private training under German sculptor Bertram Wawera.
He quickly realized sculpting comes with many trials and tribulations and chose to perfect his skills in stone, bronze and steel. Under strict mentors there was not much room for error. Over time, Orr had the opportunity to train under three Italian brothers Hugo, Nino and Joe Greico, who were all masters of sculpting. They taught him the art of design and strict fine tuning. Working in sculpture allowed Orr to realize his vision, dreams and ability to complete complex one of a kind sculptures. For the past 30 years Orr has created over 5000 + steel, stone & bronze sculptures that are viewed and enjoyed in private and public spaces worldwide. He is also proud to highlight his artwork of designer sculptural jewelry created in precious metals and stones.
Now in 2019, Orr has taken his last 30 years of spark and has turned it into a dynamic firestorm with new limited edition bronzes to be released in late 2019. There is already a tremendous amount of anticipation with numerous pre-sale orders already being requested by current patrons on unseen new pieces.
Orr is proud to donate to many organizations that support women, children, animals and families worldwide. Previous recipients include St. Jude's, American Cancer Society, Sonoran Arts league (benefiting children), City of La Jolla, AIDS assistance program, Safe Nest (domestic crisis relief), The Humane Society and The Ophelia Project amongst many others. Orr is proud to have gifted Monumental Sculpture to the City of Calabasas, CA; Calabasas, CA Fire Department & City of Apache Junction, AZ
Galleries:
Scottsdale, Arizona, Dyanson Gallery, Ortega Galleries Masterpiece Collection
Santa Fe, New Mexico, La Jolla, & San Diego, California, Gallerie Adrienne
Vail, Colorado, Vail Gallery of Contemporary Art
Exhibitions:
San Diego Museum of Art; Basel, Switzerland Public Art Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan Public Art Exhibition, and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Santa Monica, CA
Steel Sculpture
