Merran Cork, a landscape and still life painter based in Newcastle, NSW, has been honing her craft for 47 years. Influenced by her Hunter Valley surroundings and travels, she specializes in depicting Australian landscapes and flower studies in oil paint, favoring a limited palette. Cork has amassed over 200 awards throughout her career and her work is held in collections at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, and in institutional libraries. Formerly known as "MERRAN CORK," she now signs her work simply as "MERRAN." Born on April 12, 1946, in Newcastle, NSW, Cork began painting in 1977 after meeting artist James Casey, who introduced her to Max Meldrum's Tonalism. She has also painted in France and her works are found in private and institutional collections both in Australia and overseas.