Mandala: A geometric pattern formed by repeated imagery. Originally the image was a form of deity and used for meditation. 
Gordon R. Merrick was fortunate to have been introduced to wood working and Margaret Seeler almost simultaneously. Margaret Seeler was recognized as the living master in gold cloisonné and took Gordon under her wing from early in his career. Margaret, being of the Taoist philosophy helped shape Gordon's thoughts on design and form which led to his ability to stray from preconceived concepts in wood design. Gordon is entirely self taught and feels the better craftsman for this. By being self taught you learn not only how something is done but also why it is done that way. 

Gordon began doing Early American pine furniture in the woods of Maine in 1976. Through not being afraid to accept commissions that he had no idea how to fabricate he developed the knowledge and skills that later became his best attribute. After years of chasing the right market he was commissioned to design the woodworking for the interior of Mariah Carey and Tommy Mattolas residence. From there he moved into doing media based environments for both the music industry and also personal home theaters. In the recent years he has been drifting back to his early desire to create lasting works through veneering.

Gordon has been published several times regarding his veneering techniques and has had numerous pieces published indifferent trade and architectural magazines.

Special thanks to Sanjay Mishra and Akar Music for the usage rights to the song "Clouds" (to Jerry Garcia) (©1995 Sanja Mishra) from the CD Blue Incantation, Sanjay Mishra with special guest Jerry Garcia.