After leaving school, Merlin Bateman-Paris attended life drawing classes where he worked in thick charcoal. As a young artist he was fascinated by the chiaroscuro technique (extreme contrasts of light and shade). In 2018, SJE Arts in Oxford awarded Merlin third prize for the Young Artist of the Year award, and soon after he was invited to exhibit at the Mall Galleries in London. In 2020, Merlin received the Hammond Hermione drawing award.

He has, since then, exhibited at the Mall galleries numerous times and currently exhibits with Cricket Fine Art, London who now represent him. All available work is to be found through Cricket Fine Art, follow contact page.  

After a few exhibitions within the Oxford Art Society, merlin has also recently joined as a member.

During the covid-19 pandemic the ‘NHS heroes’ project, created and organised by Tom Croft, became known nationally and eventually published. Merlin managed to finish the portraits of several NHS key workers, one of which was chosen for the book, published in November 2020. 

see : http://www.bloomsbury.com/portraitsfornhsheroes

Represented by Cricket fine art gallery