Art is almost like meditation to Merrill Zeringue.
“It puts me in another realm,” said the Ormond neighborhood resident of painting. “It seems to bring peace and a sense of what God has created with the beauty around us. Art is seeing more deeply all around us all the time – seeing the light and shadows – and the beauty of the world around us.”
At age 78, Zeringue continues to help make the world more beautiful, too.
As a longtime member of the St. Charles Art Guild (SCAG), and retired counselor and teacher from Destrehan High School, she has contributed substantially to community outreach with children and senior citizens.
Zeringue helps teach art to senior citizens, using different mediums like oils, watercolor or pastels that can be used within a short period of time. They frame the work and display it at the St. Charles Parish East Bank library.SCAG also does community outreach with children.
Every year, Destrehan Plantation has its heritage day. They have different booths and categories where they can learn about candle making, cooking done outside the plantation or weaving. There is also an arts section, and Zeringue is one of the people offering a short lesson about plantation life, too.
“We have lots of pictures of either plantations or art work from the children from previous years so they get an idea of what they might want to draw or paint,” she said. “We sort of guide them. We don’t paint on their paper. We show them on another paper how to do it. We want it to be their work.”
In Zeringue’s own work, she has learned a lot about various artistic media, which she gratefully attributes to SCAG, a nearly 50-year-old group, and its members.
“I think it’s important for the people of St. Charles Parish to see that we’re not just painting for ourselves, but we’re there as an educational instrument or group to help people are interested in art,” she said. “I like the people who are in the art guild. We all get along much better than any group than I’ve ever been in.It’s been a real joy to be in the art guild. They’re very supportive and inspiring. We have opportunities to study under really fine, professional artists.”
Translating beauty in the fine lines and sprawling colors that is uniquely Zeringue’s view is one of the reasons she espouses artistic expression.
“Art is all around us – everywhere we look,” she said. “You want to expand your creative horizons and art is a way of doing it. We and the future generations need to connect with what’s going on in St. Charles Parish.”
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