Pin-up Art by Merlin Enabnit

Merlin Enabnit was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He studied at Des Moines University and the Cummings School of Art. He moved to Seattle in 1929 and his art career took off. He became known as Seattle’s Wizard of Color. In 1936 he moved to Chicago, where he was a member of Chicago Galleries and taught for the school of Famous Teachers and the Art Institute of Chicago. Merlin moved to Hollywood, California in the 1940’s, where he had an opportunity to do commercial art. He painted his famous Merlin girls (pin-ups) during this period of his career. He also created ads for Coco cola, V-8, Miller beer, White King soap, and many others. He eventually moved back to Chicago where he became a leading portrait artist. He was commissioned to do portraits of the leaders of the United Nations including Ralph Bunch and Trygve Lie. This show toured America advertising the United Nations.

Merlin Enabnit wrote 3 best selling “How to” art books that were published by Walter Foster. His last book, Nature’s Basic Color Concept, is a book on use of color and color theory. Merlin traveled the county teaching workshops later in his career. He retired to Phoenix where he loved to paint western scenes, colorful Native Americans, and the beautiful southwestern landscapes. He was recipient of many of highest honors in art, including the rare and much coveted fellowship in the Royal Society of Arts in London.