Gene Merritt (1936-2015) was a fixture in the community of Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. These drawings were completed by Merritt while living at Pilgrim’s Inn, a temporary shelter where Merritt lived the latter part of his life. His subjects varied from portraits of the well-known to drawings of weather reports to drawings of landscapes, and of course, drawings of animals.

His drawings were identified with what he called an autograph. It was as much a part of the drawing as the subject itself. “Gene’s Art’s” that appears on all of these drawings, sometimes appeared as “Gene’s Art’s Inc.” or “Gene’s Art’s Muzeiam’s Inc.” Each autograph also displayed the nature or title of his drawings and typically the date drawn. His drawings and his name [Gene’s Art’s] signified that he was a working businessman in the midst of successful working folks all around him. The ability to sell his drawings for small change was proof that he was a hard working man. Text by Tom Stanley