Cary NC Artist Donates Original Abstract Painting To AIA NC Headquarters

RALEIGH, N.C. - June 11, 2013 - PRLog -- (Raleigh, NC) -- “Amusement Park I,” a 48-inch by 48-inch mixed media on canvas abstract painting by Cary artist Don Mertz, is currently on loan and displayed in the new AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design in downtown Raleigh, the headquarters of the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

A former Marine and 35-year veteran of the corporate world, Don Mertz retired shortly after he and his wife, former model Carolyn Gustafson, moved to Cary from New York City 13 years ago. Since then, Mertz has devoted himself to his post-retirement career as an abstract artist.

“Amusement Park I” is one of a new collection of paintings Don calls his White Series. The paintings in the series are usually square, predominately white and heavily textured, with glimpses of color peaking through the thick, white peaks and valleys.

“The square offers a mathematical and visual simplicity,” he explains. “I can view the whole painting at once without having to adjust my gaze for height or width, as I would with a rectangle. And white has a dream-like quality, suggesting tranquility, clarity, and fresh beginnings. Texture, on the other hand, is visually complicated. So using white to create texture seems, to me, the perfect combination: The simplicity of white meets the complexity of texture.”

The textured, predominately white painting is displayed on a sleek, bright-red wall in the building’s lobby. For more information on the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design, go to www.cfadnc.org.

For more information on Don Mertz, visit www.mertzart.com.

About Don Mertz:

Don Mertz is an abstract artist who has lived in Cary for 13 years with his wife, Carol, and their two cats, Fred and Ethel. A former Marine and IBM branch manager, he attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and The Art Students League in New York City where he lived for 25 years. He is a member of the Visual Arts Exchange of Raleigh, the Fine Arts League of Cary and the Durham Art Guild.  He is represented by ArtSource Fine Art Gallery in North Hills, Raleigh, NC, and by Joe Rowand Fine Art Services in Chapel Hill, NC.