Betty Merken

For the month of April, Russo Lee Gallery is pleased to present Balancing Acts, an exhibition of new works by Betty Merken. With over thirty years dedicated to developing her artistic practice, Merken brings together abstract paintings, collages and monotypes that explore the dynamic interplay between structure and improvisation, color and architectural space. Her recent works are grounded in architectural underpinnings yet remain deeply painterly—forms emerge intuitively through color and structure, drawing inspiration from architecture, nature, and the rich history of twentieth-century art and design. The collages, often more intimate in scale, offer a poetic counterpoint to the larger works on canvas, their layered surfaces building quietly toward something essential. Throughout, Merken navigates a delicate tension between structure and fragility—a balancing act she invites viewers to recognize as a reflection of our shared human condition, where color and form evoke emotion and encourage contemplation.

Betty Merken is a Seattle-based painter and printmaker who has participated in over 100 solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Italy, Japan, and China. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships, including those from the BAU Institute in Otranto, Italy; the Civita Institute in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, and Seattle; and the Pinea-Linea de Costa International Artist Residency in Cádiz, Spain. She has also been selected for one-month workshops with master printers at Crown Point Press, publisher of fine art etchings in San Francisco. Merken’s work is held in the permanent collections of the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon; the Jordan Schnitzer Collection in Eugene, Oregon; the Long Beach Museum of Art in Long Beach, California; and the Civita Institute in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, as well as in numerous public and private collections worldwide.

Balancing Acts: Recent Paintings and Works on Paper

April 2 – May 2, 2026

Press Release