A veritable icon of new American west painting, Merrill Mahaffey has sustained more than five decades as a nationally recognized painter known for paintings of realism steeped in modernism. Not an armchair traveller, he has explored the landscape as a mountain climber, backpacker, fisherman, and skier. His works are exhibited at some of the nation’s most respected art institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the American Collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. ‍ His paintings are collected in numerous public and corporate collections nationwide and he continues to be an influence to young artists. He was honored by the Arizona Historic Society as a Historymaker in 2019. ‍ Mahaffey holds a Bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State University and a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University.