UNSPOKEN

explores the power of language and the tension between what is seen and what is understood. Each piece encodes a meaningful message in Braille, using layer geometric systems and tactile elements to reveal how words shape perception, and how meaning often exists just beyond what we immediately see.

A richly textured abstract artwork inspired by the hidden beauty of coral reefs. Hundreds of individually painted discs emerge from a deep blue field, creating and an organic landscape of color, depth, and discovery that invites a closer look.

Part of the creative process in this large scale abstract art.

Each braille piece created most often begins with a grid for laying out the braille pattern.

Each braille piece is laid out, shifted, moved, and rearranged until the balance of the words and space feel natural.

Each wooden disc is hand painted with several layers of paint and several layers of varnish.

Merrill Moore does not need to be signed on the front of my work, in fact, I think it can often detract. Some are signed on the side, or in braille, but they are all branded on the back of the wooden stretcher with my initials.

Partially complete resin dots that are used for my signature.

Merrill Moore signatures often look a little different. This side signature, in braille, reads, Moore.

Exposure
Wooden discs on canvas, acrylic
30 × 40 inches

Inspired by the diversity and interconnectedness of coral reefs, Exposure explores how awareness shapes appreciation. Emerging from a deep oceanic field, clusters of color reveal themselves gradually, reminding us that what we choose to see, and show others, ultimately influences what we value and protect.

“People protect what they love. But they can only love what they know. And they can only know what they are shown. - Jacques Cousteau

A canopy of color and light, inspired by David Attenborough’s words—reminding us of both the beauty we stand within and the responsibility we carry to protect it.

Awesome Responsibility
Wood discs on canvas, acrylic
48 x 60 inches

Contemporary Braille artwork inspired by David Attenborough’s quote on environmental stewardship. Layered circles in vibrant greens, blues, yellows, and pinks evoke the experience of looking up through a forest canopy, light, shadow, leaves, and blossoms intertwined. A dimensional abstract work exploring nature, responsibility, and humanity’s connection to the living world.

“The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.” - David Attenborough

Blue geometric abstract artwork with layered circular forms on dark navy background by Merrill Moore

A contemporary abstract Braille artwork exploring the power and repetition of language through layered geometric forms in varying shades of blue. Repeating the word “WORD” in Braille, the piece examines how language overlaps, rises, fades, and shapes

WORD
Wood discs on wood panel, acrylic & resin
30 × 30 inches

This work departs from the hidden quotes found elsewhere in the series. Instead, it repeats the word WORD across the surface in Braille.

The repetition reflects the endless flow of language in daily life—words layered, interrupted, amplified, or forgotten. Some rise above the rest. Others are obscured before they are fully formed. Together they create a visual field of language itself: constant, overlapping, and always shaping meaning.

The Layers of Life
Mixed media on canvas, acrylic
30 × 40 inches

Layers of Life explores identity as a shifting palette of color and connection. Blue represents the self, joined over time by the colors of those we allow into our lives. Varying finishes reflect how relationships change in intensity, while flashes of yellow represent the unexpected moments that alter our course and leave a lasting mark. Framed in ultramarine blue, the work is anchored by the belief that identity is both shaped by others and defined by the boundaries we choose.

Braille: Each circle, each bond, each layer makes me more.

STILL?
Mixed media on canvas
48 × 48 inches

Built from text drawn from influential speeches of the 20th century, STILL? explores the persistence of humanity's most enduring questions. The speeches change. The language evolves. Yet many of the same conversations remain. Braille adds another layer of meaning, reinforcing the enduring power of words to shape thought.

Braille: Words can awaken thought.

Fault Lines
Mixed media on canvas
24 × 48 inches

Fault Lines explores the universal "WTF?" moments that disrupt even the most carefully constructed lives. Fractured surfaces and precise forms reflect the tension between composure and chaos, stability and change.

Braille: WTF

YES/NO. (set of 2)
Acrylic on canvas
24 × 48 inches

Because sometimes it is that simple. Yes or no. Black or white. True or false. Inspired by the clarity we try to teach our children, and the certainty we occasionally need ourselves, this diptych explores the rare moments when there is no grey.

Braille: YES (black background, white design) & NO. (white background, black design)

Defiantly Hopeful
Mixed media on wood panel with 3D elements
36 × 48 inches

Defiantly Hopeful explores the idea that hope is often mistaken for weakness when, in reality, it takes courage to keep believing things can improve. Through layered Braille, color, and elevation, the piece serves as a reminder that hope isn't soft, passive, or naive. It is a choice. It is a decision. It is defiant.

“Some people think hope is naive. But it's not. No. It's defiant.” — Becky Hemsley

Ultramarine blue abstract artwork with raised Braille-inspired forms and glossy resin surface by Merrill Moore

Already Ocean
Wooden hemispheres on canvas with resin
36 × 36 inches

Already Ocean explores a fluid interpretation of Braille, released from its traditional linear structure. Shifting in scale, spacing, and rhythm, the composition mirrors the movement of water and invites a slower kind of looking, one where meaning is discovered rather than immediately read. Inspired by the words of Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean.”

Hidden within the field of blue, the artist's name is subtly woven into the "ocean," adding another layer waiting to be found.

Reveal
Wooden hemispheres on canvas with resin
12 × 12 inches

Reveal challenges the assumptions we make at first glance. What initially appears as a dark, uniform surface gradually discloses something more complex as the light shifts. Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, the work explores how our first impressions often obscure deeper truths—and how a different perspective can completely change the way we see a person, a situation, or the world around us.

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”

MLK, Jr.

Red abstract artwork by Merrill Moore featuring raised and sunken braille dots arranged in letter forms.

Contemporary Braille-inspired artwork by Merrill Moore featuring layered dimensional elements, cut canvas details, and a Frederick Douglass quote exploring the importance of early childhood support, prevention, and strong foundations. Brick red abstr

Unspoken I: Before the Break
Acrylic and dimensional elements on canvas
20 × 30 in | 2026

This work interprets the words of Frederick Douglass, “It is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men.”

The painting was auctioned at the Little Hands Tablescapes 2026 event.