Before the Catch

Merrill Coffin

November 4, 1924-December 24, 2006


Merrill Coffin

Merrill Coffin was born November 4th, 1924 in the city of Jamestown, New York to George and Lillian Anderson Coffin. With no formal artistic education after high school, his talent came to him naturally.

In 3rd grade, a pencil sketch of Washington crossing the Delaware was hung in the principal’s office for the full year. He began art courses in junior high. During his high school years, he helped on the Art Staff for the Annual. With his natural ability and what he learned in that 9th-grade course, he started that summer working at Aburg Sign. After this experience, he majored in art through high school and graduated with an art diploma in 1942 from Jamestown High School.

Learn More

The Paintings

Please note our painting section is under construction. We will be upgrading the artwork throughout.

“People like to hang on to our past, to what their grandfathers had, to what their great-grandfathers had… Antiquity is holding people together”

Merrill Coffin

Latest Paintings

  • Loon and The Loonlet

    Loon and The Loonlet

    In his later years, Merrill Coffin’s eyesight began to fade, but his passion for painting never dimmed. Loon and Loonlet is a poignant example of this period—less detailed than his earlier wildlife portraits, yet filled with warmth, balance, and emotional depth. The scene is set in a quiet inlet surrounded by towering…

  • Portrait of the Quail

    Portrait of the Quail

    Among the many wildlife portraits painted by Merrill Coffin, one stands out for its quiet grace—a quail perched confidently on a weathered log. Behind the bird, soft hills dissolve into a light grey horizon, offering a muted backdrop that places full attention on the subject. The quail’s plumage, rendered in…

  • Autumn Sentinel

    Autumn Sentinel

    In this portrait, Merrill Coffin captures the quiet dignity of a quail poised atop a fallen tree. Against a backdrop of golden fields and distant trees fading into a pale white sky, the bird embodies both resilience and stillness. The earthy tones of its plumage blend seamlessly with the autumnal…

Artwork & Print Worth

We receive many requests on how much a piece is worth?

Original paintings vary in price from $100-800.00 depending on subject matter and condition. We do not evaluate the cost of your piece. For prints we’ve seen locally pricing range up to $250.00 for a signed framed print. We sell prints online that are still available that are not signed by the artist but come from the estate for 50.00. Price depends on condition, age, frame, number. Most prints were created in the 1980s. You can find prints in some art shops in town and some original paintings in galleries locally.

Please note as of right now the estate does not have prints for the following paintings: