Artist

Merry Harpin

A pupil of Beauty

View Work
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About

Merry Harpin is a self-taught artist based in Norwich, Connecticut. Born in Alexandria, Louisiana, and raised in Biloxi, Mississippi, she works primarily in charcoal, while also exploring oils, watercolors, and acrylics.

Her work is guided by the sacred dimensions of the everyday, deeply rooted in beauty. For her, recognizing beauty is not simply a matter of preference, but an intentional act of attention. When she is not in the studio, she nurtures this focus in nature — her greatest teacher.

Merry Harpin
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Work

Birds

Birds I watch on my walks and travels, and the drawings behind my Birds of New England 2027 calendar.

American goldfinch perched on a thin branch beside young leaves

American Goldfinch

Charcoal & pastel

Duck with a brown head and yellow eye swimming on blue water

Common Goldeneye - Female

Charcoal & pastel

Cedar waxwing perched on a branch with berries

Cedar Waxwing

18 × 24 · Charcoal, graphite & chalk pastel · 2026

Hooded merganser swimming Hooded merganser, detail

Hooded Merganser

Charcoal · 2026

Double-crested cormorant, charcoal study Double-crested cormorant, head detail Double-crested cormorant, eye detail

Double-crested Cormorant, Study

Charcoal, chalk pastel · 2026

Portraits & Figures

Self-portraits and figure studies, drawn from life and the mirror.

Self-portrait in charcoal Self-portrait, eyes detail Self-portrait, nose and mouth detail

Self-Portrait

Charcoal · 2026

Head and shoulders portrait in charcoal

Head and Shoulders

Charcoal · 2026

Self-portrait in graphite, signed Merry

Me, Merry

Graphite pencil · 2026

Line portrait with a brown pastel shape beside the face

Drawing for Mom

Charcoal & pastel · 2026

Standing figure study in charcoal

Posing for Me

Charcoal · 2026

Standing figure study in graphite

Posing for Me, Graphite Study

Graphite · 2026

Seated figure in a kitchen

Posing

Charcoal & graphite

Study of the artist's hand

My Hand

Charcoal & graphite · 2026

Interiors & Everyday Life

Rooms, objects and streets: the ordinary places where beauty waits to be noticed.

Cups on a table, charcoal on newsprint

Cups

Charcoal on newsprint · 2026

A chair in a Massachusetts room

Chair in Massachusetts

Charcoal on newsprint · May 2026

Bedroom interior in Forestdale, Massachusetts

Bedroom in Forestdale, MA

Charcoal · July 2026

The artist's living room

My Living Room

Charcoal on newsprint · 2026

Figure in a hat in front of the Bay Bridge

Merry and the Bay Bridge

Charcoal on newsprint · 2026

Woman walking on a city street

Woman in the Street

Charcoal · 2026

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Contact

Inquiries, commissions, or to say hello.