11 March 2018

Merrick's artwork (below) appeared in a 1987 calendar Literary Owls (left) celebrating a decade of Boobook Publications. The calendar pays homage to the owl which “writers have often use to dramatise a night scene, or to enhance the unholy actions of a night prowler.”

Merrick spends a lot of time in the bush and his paintings reflect his love of the landscape. The sooty owl is a striking member of the barn owl species and lies in dense forests. It is considered rare, but obviously not in the Fry garden.