He began creating art early in elementary school where his works where composed of mostly sculpture and drawings. Through those first years, his talent improved along with his growth in choice of media, his developing stroke and a more extensive choice of subjects.
During his adolescence, Merli drew inspiration from the works of such great artists as Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raffaello and Bernini, and studied their painting and sculpture techniques.
The Italian masters played a significant role in Merli coming to the realization early in life that his destiny was to be a visual artist.
He attended the Artistic Secondary School in Rome where he honed his painting talents. He learned the techniques of using oil paints and continued to develop his work with scuplture using Italian Peperino stone.
While attending the school Merli also improved upon the technique of architectural drawing from one of the most important Italian architects, Massimo Nicotra.
Merli later attended the Universita' di Roma "La Sapienza" Facolta' di Architettura, where he continued to develop his greatest artistic passion–painting.
He then worked at the Via Panaro Art Shop in Rome creating statues out of marble, and took advantage of his time in that city by visiting archeological excavations and restorations of artistic monuments and national treasures.
Today, Merli is an artist in high demand, creating commissioned works in his native Italy and beyond.
While he enjoys pushing the boundaries of his techniques using varied materials, such as clay, marble, wood, oil paints and other media, he has achieved an outstanding reputation for his paintings–of which Il Panino Caffé’s fresco is one.
