By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
Last week, I attempted to contact a friend I have known for close to a half-century. I wanted to write an article about his work as an American artist. I was saddened to learn that, on Nov. 29, 2024, he passed away.
David Louis Merrick was born on Dec. 8, 1952, in Keokuk, Iowa. He was a universally celebrated, self-taught Colorado wildlife artist famous for capturing precise, photo-like likenesses of animals while infusing them with vibrant, engaging personalities.
His paintings were so realistic that they were often mistaken for photographs. David is most well known for his stunningly detailed painting of a bald eagle titled Spirit of Indigo.
Dave was also internationally famous for his realistic portraits of a variety of wildlife. He even painted a friend’s pet wolf named Indigo.
Published in 1993 by the Joan Cawley Gallery, Indigo is now the most celebrated and widely recognized close-up portrait of a majestic wolf ever painted. Known for its striking realism, the piece features an intense, soulful gaze with luminous amber-gold eyes framed by intricately detailed, windswept gray and silver fur.
Distributed extensively as a fine art lithograph and canvas print, it became a staple of 1990s southwestern and nature-themed decor, resonating deeply with wildlife enthusiasts and collectors across North America.
He was even honored to paint portraits of many famous people, including Merle Haggard, Roy Clark, Johnny Lee, Eddy Raven, T.G. Sheppard, Michael Martin Murphey and Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley. Merrick was also commissioned to do wall murals for numerous organizations, including Hilton Hotels and Kraft Foods.
He also painted a life-sized portrait of Jesus for the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
Merrick’s career as an artist began in 1989, after working at a variety of jobs, including building cabins and working as a railroad brakeman. Merrick worked briefly for a design studio.
He soon began to devote more of his time to outside commissions, which began flowing in. Most of his work was oil-on-canvas and oil and acrylic on artboard, but he also sculpted and worked in pencil.
His obituary described him as a mighty and brilliant man, physically, spiritually, and with amazing artistic and literary talent. He was innovative in almost any project that he took on.
David had an innate ability to convey his thoughts and express his intellect in simple terms that achieved immediate understanding. Well known for his opinion columns and political cartoons, he was a frequent contributor to the Western Center for Journalism.
Dave was like no other person I have ever known. He was very self-critical, often beating up on himself. We spent hours on the phone where I worked to build him up.
In the end, he was one of the humblest persons I have ever known and will be missed by all those he touched and were fortunate to call him a “friend.” His life was filled with blessings and adventures.
As I watched him paint, I was amazed that someone could, from his mind, create a masterpiece of photographic quality. I was even honored to have Dave do a cover for one of my published books.
In addition to portraiture and wildlife, he was recently celebrated as one of the preeminent rodeo artists of his era. A permanent collection of his country music celebrity portraits remains on display at the famous Billy Bob’s western venue in Dallas, Texas.
He currently has more original work in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame than any other artist. He wrote many articles for The Western Journal and Canada Free Press, often on creationism, but always with spiritual content. Dave was an ordained pastor with Calvary Chapel and, for a time, pastored a church in Westcliffe, Colorado.
Also a gifted musician, he played the drums with both talent and passion. He was also very supportive of the apologetics ministry, an area we often collaborated in.
He realized his dream of owning a farm when he and his family purchased a farm in Nebraska. While there, Dave successfully organized and implemented resistance to the practice of hog confinement.
He subsequently returned to Colorado, where he lived in Canon City and later in Brookside, where he converted a former CF&I mining company store into a studio and a home for him and his wife.
He was an amazing athlete before a serious injury sidelined him. Dave ran Pike’s Peak every Thursday while living in Colorado Springs. He rode his bicycle close to 30 miles a day, including over Skyline Drive in Canon City.
When helping build a room addition for his wife, he hurt his back, explaining, “Humans were not designed to be 6 feet 7 inches like I am, and I am injured when doing things most people would not have a problem with.”
Of all his adventures and accomplishments, Dave was most happy with his role as husband, father and grandfather. He dearly loved all of his children and grandchildren and his wife, attorney Ilene Teresa Gormly. We will all miss him tremendously and will never forget his wonderful spirit and loving nature.
We are consoled by the knowledge that he is now with the Lord and has been reunited with his two beloved sons: Travis Merrick, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who died at the age of 42 unexpectedly on Aug. 12, 2013, and Travis’ brother Caleb, who passed away shortly after Travis.
Dave is survived by his wife; daughter Kinsey Artfitch; grandchildren Sonja, Noah and Ryiah Merrick; and step-grandchildren Brock and Tyler Artfitch.
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Dr. Bergman is a multi-award-winning professor and author. He has 9 degrees and has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate level for over 40 years. His over 2,100 publications are in both scholarly and popular journals. Dr. Bergman’s work has been translated into 15 languages. He has spoken over 2,000 times to college, university and church groups in America, Canada, Europe, the South Sea Islands, and Africa. He lives in Montpelier and is available to present in churches and schools. Jerry can be reached at jbergman1946@gmail.com Bergman’s website is: https://crev.info/author/jbergman/