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About my art- I do what my Rice Krispies tell me to do! Its that simple! Well...Kind of. I have a wide range of interests (art, baseball, history, economics, nutrition, science, technology) which stimulate me and "keep me asking questions". I strive for my work to be relevant, honest and as funny as inhaling laughing gas while being tickled at a comedy club! My work draws upon my experiences over the course of my life and is a bi-product of my experiences, in the same way that digestion is a direct result of eating.
About Tradigital Mixed Media Art- For the past eight years, I have taught art in schools in Harlem and the South Bronx and my technique was created out of a need that arose in my classroom. Forty five minute periods is not enough time to teach painting. So I switched my painting supplies from traditional supplies, to paint markers to eliminate the set up and clean up. After witnessing the success that my students were having, I decided to push the technique even further, while working in my studio. I learned that mixing color pencils with a “blender” (on top of the opaque layers of the paint markers) marker allows an artist to mimic the effects of glazed oil paint. I incorporated media “cut outs” and printed images in my work. And I found that paint markers were ideal to tie everything together. Finally I learned that scanning my images on to a computer will allow me to edit my “characters” and add crazy effects such as juxtaposing images on top of my creations. The computer also enables me to use the medium that I am most familiar with; oil paint. I usually print my compositions on canvas ( I order an non varnished giclee print) and lay down the finishing touches in oil paint.
My influences- I take pride in having a different approach but it would be dishonest for me to state that I do not have aesthetic influences. I love the characters of Hieronymus Bosch and John Currin and the compositions of Romare Bearden and Red Grooms. I love Andy Warhol’s dark humor and how he mass produced his “characters” (A timely parody of America during its peak years of manufacturing). I have “borrowed” elements of the artists listed above and “merged” them with my own knowledge and ideas.
My Characters- I have created over 500 “characters” in 2008. Each character has one pose (with the exception of my animations) and are interchangeable in my compositions. I juxtapose my characters where I feel that they “fit”. Some characters have been used only once and some have been used dozens of times. I strive for each character to become iconic and to make my work easily identifiable. Some characters are actual people (friends of mine or well known celebrities) and some are created as caricatures based upon people that I have interacted with in life situations.
 Art Gallery Alpha Males: Shown in `Manipulated Image` at the Santa Fe Complex
MANIPULATED IMAGE AT THE SANTA FE COMPLEX
Manipulated Image ia a series of video screenings, image projections and artist discussions.
This monthly series features artists that explore the innovative use of technology and
software to manipulate image (film, video, animation, photography...). Guest artists
will present their work and discuss the way they digitally transform images to achieve their
personal vision. Copies of the presented work will be donated to the newly forming Media
Library, available for public viewing at the Complex.
Organized and curated by Alysse Stepanian
http://alyssestepanian.com/
 Merrillk.com Home of `The Art Gallery Alpha Males`
A new series of videos have been launched by the New York City Artist, Merrill Kazanjian. 'Art Gallery Alpha Males', star two characters named 'Kunst' and 'Art Geek'. Viewers can think of them as the Williamsburg equivalent of Beavis and Butthead. Kazanjian, a college athlete, has found the New York Art Gallery Scene, to have more, 'posturing and chest pounding' by artists, than there was when Kazanjian played college baseball. Kazanjian states, 'Ironically, athletes are thought of as trash talkers, but it does not compare to the name and credential dropping that goes on in galleries. In some galleries, I barely see people looking at the art on the wall....which kind of defeats the purpose of having an exhibition'.
Kazanjian was trained as a traditional painter, but has temporarily abandoned the medium to experiment with other forms of art such as video art. He feels that video is the best means to articulate his observations from going to art shows in early twenty-first century New York.
 Commission a Merrill Kazanjian Portrait!
My portraits usually take about a month to complete (due to drying time and labor). It is a much slower process than photography, but an oil paintings durability and the intuition of a quality portrait painter CANNOT be matched by a machine such as a camera.
Art Gallery Alpha Males - Episodes 1,2,3
New Coach Video- One Day at a Time
New Coach Series Video- The Next Fernando Valenzuela (Part 1)
 Merrill Kazanjian is excited to be exhibiting at VARGA Gallery
(Excerpt From Press Release)
Merrill Kazanjian is a mixed media artist who grew up in Queens, NY and has taught in the inner city for the last seven years. His time as a teacher has influenced his art and he is currently working in a mixed media style- but promoting his work through releasing humorous animations on the internet. Kazanjian's mixed media and animation work can be seen at Merrillk.com.
Kazanjian is very excited to be exhibiting at VARGA Gallery's, 'On the Outskirts' show.
ON THE OUTSKIRTS: focuses on outsiders - artists that work outside the box, collectors that think outside the box and people that make their way to the outskirts of Woodstock to purchase works that are out of the ordinary. VARGA Gallery, located on the fringes of Woodstock, features self-taught, outsider and visionary artists. 'On the Outskirts' focuses on works and artists that push boundaries and stretch the imagination with everything from mixed media and found object works to collage, paintings and sculpture.
The date for the opening reception is April 12th and the show will run until May 4th. Varga Gallery's website is vargagallery.com
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