Merric Boyd and the Boyd family in Murrumbeena

William Merric Boyd was born in 1888 in St Kilda , a bayside suburb of Melbourne. He was the second born of five

children to painters Arthur Merric Boyd and Emma Minnie Boyd. His older brother Gilbert was a killed in a riding

accident at the age of nine years. He had two younger brothers, Martin and Penleigh and a sister Helen. Merric

attended Haileybury College and in 1905 worked for a year as a jackaroo in the Riverina area of New South Wales.

He studied briefly at Dookie Agricultural College.

In 1907 Merric's parents purchased a dairy farm at Yarra Glen with the idea that he might become a farmer.

Merric did not persue this as a career and in 1909, unsure of what he might do in life, studied theology in Melbourne

and art at the National Gallery School.

Gum Tree Merric Boyd Water Colour 140 x 220 mm 1909	Pastoral Landscape Merric Boyd Water colour 240 x 180 mm 1909
Sculptured head of Doris Boyd by Merric Boyd c. 1914 - 1915 plaster 370 [h] mm*	Ceramic Koala Jar Merric Boyd 220 [h] mm*

Merric had become interested in sculpture through his family's friendship with sculptor Web Gilbert. His first

association with a commercial pottery was with Archibald McNair's Burnley Pottery, where he went to purchase clay.

While there he had the opportunity to use a wheel, and the help of workers quickly learnt the basic skills of throwing.

He refined his skills working at the Australian Porcelain Insulator works in Yarraville between 1912 and 1914.

His earliest vases can be traced to this period.

Open Country
Believed to be painted by Emma Minnie Boyd c. 1915

In 1913 Merric's parents bought for him a property in Wahroongaa Crescent in Murrumbeena and with their

assistance built a small weatherboard residence studio. He named his new home 'Open Country'. Murrumbeena is

twelve kilometres south-east of Melbourne and in 1913 was beyond the fringe of metropolitan Melbourne. It was an

area of large and quite wealthy estates, paddocks, orchards and poppy farms with scattered areas of bush and scrub,

centred around Murrumbeena Station and the few shops that had established there.

 

Merric Boyd in his pottery at Open Country in 1914

Merric Boyd at Dookie Agriculture Collage, aged 19 in 1906

Merric began making pottery at a time when it was very difficult to obtain the necessary equipment and materials

to do so. As a result, he largely made his own materials and equipment. He built pug mills, grinders, throwing

wheels and kilns, and made his own glazes from basic oxides. To obtain clay, he utilized the good clay deposits

found in the Murrumbeena and Oakleigh areas, and prepared it himself.

Open Country at Murrumbeena c. 1913

The Pottery, Murrumbeena Arthur Merric Boyd

In 1915, Merric married Melbourne born painter and poet Doris Gough. They worked both together and separately in

their artistic pursuits. Doris continued to write poetry and paint with oils and watercolour, and decorated a substantial amount

of Merric's pottery. Merric continued to develop his skills in ceramics. In particular he was very successful in finding

ways to combine forms he made in sculpture with his thrown his pots.

Merric Boyd with Lucy and Arthur at Open Country c.1922

Merric Boyd with Lucy and Arthur at Open Country c.1922

Merric and Doris' first child, Lucy, was born in 1916. The birth of Arthur followed in 1920, and then Guy in 1923,

David in 1924 and Mary in 1926. In 1917 Merric enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps to serve in World War One

and was sent to England. After the War, he studied pottery at the Wedgwood Pottery. In 1919 he returned

to 'Open Country', where he applied many of the techniques he had acquired in England. His pottery became very

popular. He held exhibitions and pottery demonstrations at 'Open Country', and sold his pots through city stores

such as Mair and Lyne and Georges. He was described in one newspaper article as 'the King of Melbourne Potters' .

Doris Boyd at Open Country c. 1920

In the 1920's, Merric and Doris joined the Christian Science Church. Religion and the faith it offered supported them through

some of the difficult times which were to follow. Perhaps the greatest of these occurred in 1926 when a fire destroyed Merric's

pottery. This meant that Merric was unable to make and therefore sell his pottery. Later that year he, out of necessity, taught

pottery at a secondary school in Armadale in New South Wales .

A public appeal was held to enable a new pottery to be built and he was able to produce his pottery, which he continued

to sell in the city. He and Doris would catch a train to the city and carry their heavy suitcases packed with pots to

different stores.

Merric Boyd in 1930

Along with the fire, The Great Depression made life very difficult for the Boyds, as it did for countless other

Australian families. To gain additional income, in 1934 both Doris and Merric worked for a few months throwing and

decorating pots at a porcelain factory in Yarraville.

Doris Boyd with her children in 1929. From left; Guy, Arthur, Lucy, Mary and David

Merric and Doris encouraged their children to express themselves through art. They all learnt to work with clay from

an early age. David Boyd has said that, as a child, he thought all families created art together as his family had done,

and was later on in life surprised to discover that this was not the case.

The hands of Merric Boyd at his wheel at Open Country Murrumbeena in the early 1920's

Merric Boyd was fascinated and inspired by the natural world. For him, pottery, was the perfect vehicle to express

his affection for Australian flora and fauna and its landscapes, and the beauty he saw in the world. This, together

with his desire to fully explore the potential of clay, led him to create truly unique Australian works of ceramic art.

While he was not the first potter to use native flora and fauna in pottery, he raised their use to new levels of artistry

and acceptance in the community.

Pot with koala 1932	Jug with tree-trunk handle 1926
Jug with apples 1931	Bowl with handles 1938

 

Many of his works feature trees and branches, gum leaves and gum nuts and native animals such as koalas and

kookaburras sculpted into thrown works, that include jugs, vases, bowls and pots. He often used the form of tree

trunks and branches for the handles of his pottery. Bent and twisted windswept branches and leaves would be

wrapped around pots. Pots were incised with landscapes formed around the sides. Post and rail fences, birds,

seascapes and fruits were formed into pots and glazed beautifully. Some of Merric's pottery was simple in design

and form with subtle and understated decoration and glazing while some were more complex and reveal his great

skill as a sculptor.

Doris Boyd often decorated Merric's pottery. She would paint or incise landscape scenes onto his pots, such as tall and

straight gum trees delicately applied with a fine brush, and seascapes with craggy cliffs falling to the sea below. Doris's

more refined style and delicate brushwork contrasted with Merric's bold and more vigorous approach with the brush.

Some of Merric's pottery was dark and raw and restless. Other works were light and fine and uplifting. Great art usually

says a lot about its creator. The expressive and complex nature of Merric Boyd is clearly reflected in his art.

Vase decoration by Doris Boyd * Collection: Bundanon Trust, Nowra

Vase decoration by Doris Boyd 1926 170 [h] mm *

While Merric's pottery is well known, his drawings are not. His drawings are powerful and original, and

display, as his pottery does, a sensitivity to and love for the natural and manmade environment around him. His use

of the tree is particularly strong. In these drawings, trees rarely stand tall. More often than not, they lean to one side

yet remain rooted, indicating their strength and endurance against many storms and heavy weather. Merric's drawings

reveal much about his own ability to endure adversity, and survive.

A White Gum Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 275x 250 mm 1951	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and water colour 180 x 275 mm 1950
Untitled Merric Boyd Pencil 185 x 275 mm 1949	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and pencil 250 x 270 mm 1951

Merric drew pots that he planned to make, and in later life when he had ceased making pottery on his wheel,

shapes and designs that he liked and perhaps one day thought that he might throw.

Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 245 x 275 mm undated	Four jugs and bowl with leaf and fruit decoration Merric Boyd Pencil and coloured pencil 245 x 275 mm Undated
Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 245 x 275 mm undated	Three bowls with leaf and fruit decoration Merric Boyd Pencil and coloured pencil 245 x 275 mm 1950

Merric often drew animals, including household pets, farm animals and native species. Some of these drawings portrayed

animals in comfortable domestic settings, while others recall his experiences in the country.

Poultry Run Merric Boyd Pencil 278 x 185 mm 1949	Untitled Merric Boyd Pencil, coloured pencil and crayon 250 x 270mm undated
Horse Merric Boyd Pencil 280 x 180.5 mm 1947	Parrot Merric Boyd Pencil 270.5 x 170.5 mm 1950

 

Merric did semi-abstract drawings, usually using the forms of tree trunks as their basis. These are beautiful

and highly original.

Clump of straight and bent trees Merric Boyd Water colour 250 x 270 mm Undated	Clump of tall, straight trees Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 250 x 270 mm 1942
Clump of trees and tall grass Merric Boyd Water colour, Colour Pencil and Wax 250 x 270 mm Undated	Trees with yellow and white branches Merric Boyd Water colour 250 x 270 mm Undated

Some of Merric's drawings, and in particular his portrayal of the horizon and sky, had surreal qualities.

Untitled Merric Boyd Pencil and crayon 250x 270 mm 1949

Telegraph posts with birds Merric Boyd Pencil 180 x 270 mm Undated

Merric enjoyed the sea and often drew it. He did many drawings around Port Phillip Bay, including at city beaches and

on the southern Mornington Peninsula, and on Westernport Bay where the family sometimes holidayed.

A Yacht Down the Bay Merric Boyd Coloured pencil, pencil and wash 250 x 270 mm 1951	Pier Middle Brighton Merric Boyd Coloured pencil & crayon with water 270 x 250 mm 1949
Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 270 x 250 mm undated	A Sea Beach Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 250 x 270 mm 1951

Merric drew people, including family, friends and Murrumbeena residents.

Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil & pencil 270 x 250 mm 1950	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 270 x 250 mm undated
Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 180 x 240 mm 1955	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil & crayon with wash 250 x 270 mm

Over the long period that Merric and Doris Boyd lived in Murrumbeena, many generations of the family lived at or near

'Open Country'. For a period after their marriage and into the 1920's, the extended Boyd family occupied the entire northern

side of Wahroongaa Crescent. Merric's parents lived in a large two-story home at the top of the Crescent. Later, they left

the area to settle in Sandringham. Next to their home was Merric and Doris's cottage and next to that the home of Doris's

mother, Evelyn Gough, who called her cottage 'Green Pastures'. She spent her last years living at 'Open Country'

with Merric and Doris.

Arthur, Guy and David all served in the Second World War and later returned to live at Open Country at one time or

another, either in the house, the old pottery, or in other dwellings constructed on the block over time. There they raised

their own children, worked to develop their skills and talents in the arts, and supported each other as they made their way

after the drama and turbulence of the War. Lucy and Mary also lived at 'Open Country' with Merric and Doris after they

married and began to raise their children there.

Merric Boyd with Dish and Spoon Arthur Boyd Ink 560 x380 mm c. 1947

Merric Boyd, standing with Hands in Pockets Arthur Boyd, Pencil, 180 x 270 mm c. 1947

The 1940's saw a decline in Merric's health. While he continued to be immensely creative, his loss of physical strength made

throwing on the wheel more difficult. He still produced thrown pottery, but began making a greater number of hand-sculpted

works. His subjects included trees, animals, friends and family members and again reveal his remarkable talent as a sculptor.

His works were generally small and expressive in form and convey his warm, humanist and sympathetic view of the world,

of people and of nature.

In the 1950's Merric drew prolificly and did many thousands of drawings. Many were of country and farm scenes,

drawing upon his experiences as a young man working on a farm, as well as people, places, trees, animals and scenery.

Doris Boy Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 250 x 270 mm 1916

Many residents of Murrumbeena who have lived in the vicinity of 'Open Country' for more than forty years remember

Merric Boyd during this latter period of his life. He would often be seen walking the streets of Murrumbeena and through the

Outer Circle Parklands [now Boyd Park] carrying his sketchpad and pencils. After locating scenes and subjects for

his drawings, he would set himself up on a fence or on the nature strip and draw, sometimes for hours.

On other occasions he would find a shrub or a flower in a resident's yard. He would knock on their door, and displaying

the impeccable manners and gentlemanly ways he had all his life, ask to draw the subject of his attention. He was rarely,

if ever refused this request and often after completing his drawing, would knock on the door again and give away his

finished work.

While some people who received Merric's sketches chose not to keep them, many others did, appreciating, or at the

very least recognizing their special qualities. That so many survive, with local residents and in collections elsewhere,

is extremely fortunate. Merric Boyd was an artist in the truest sense, filled with an overwhelming need to express himself

and with the ability to do so. The many drawings and ceramic works that survive him stand as testament to his genius.

Tree in landscape Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and Pencil 180 x 275 mm 1953

Hillside at sunset Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and crayon 180 x 250 mm 1949

Merric was generally well respected within the Murrumbeena community, not only by adults but also by local children.

Many of them sat for, and then received Merric's drawings. There were some people who saw the elderly Merric Boyd

as a silly old man and not worthy of respect. They were unaware of who he was and what he had achieved in

his life, often in the face of great adversity. In particular, they were unaware of the epilepsy which had increasingly

affected him during these latter years.

Merric Boyd in the brown room c. 1954

Merric Boyd died in 1959. Doris Boyd died the following year. 'Open Country', the Boyd's family home and a place that

been the centre and source of so much art and creativity, was also near the end of its time. Following Doris's death, Lucy

and Hatton Boyd Beck returned from Brisbane to live in the house. There, they worked as artists and taught pottery.

After they left for England, the house was demolished, in 1964, for the flats that stand there today.

Whether 'Open Country' could have been renovated and become a museum or something similar can be debated; it was

an old house in need of a great deal of work. But the fact remains that a great part of Australia's art heritage was lost when

Number 8 Wahroongaa Crescent was pulled down.

Little remains today that records Merric Boyd and his family's time in Murrumbeena. Merric and Doris's home is gone,

though Merric's parent's home at Number 4 Wahroongaa Crescent still stands. The Outer Circle Parkland, the source of so

many of Merric's drawings is there, but the original post and rail fences, the horses, the creek and the little wooden bridges

that crossed it, have vanished. The Arthur Merric Boyd [A.M.B.] Pottery, established by Arthur Boyd, John Perceval and

Peter Herbst in 1944 in Neerim Road, is now a block of flats.

Looking along Dandenong Road Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and wash 250x 270 mm 1949

Untitled Merric Boyd Pencil and coloured pencil 180 x 240 mm 1951

The streets and footpaths of Murrumbeena that Merric Boyd walked are, of course, still there, as are many of the trees

and shrubs and scenes he drew. One can walk these streets, and with a little effort, imagine Merric Boyd walking the same

streets and drawing, imagine the little cottage with the wild garden that was his home, and imagine Murrumbeena as a young

Merric Boyd knew it - a place of 'Open Country'.


C

Gallery Of Merric Boyd Drawings

Trees and branches Merric Boyd Pencil and Coloured Pencil 250 x 270 mm 1952	The bush bird Merric Boyd Colour Pencil, Pencil and Wash 250 x 270 mm 1950
Untitled Merric Boyd Pencil 240 x 278 mm 1950	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and waterclour 180 x 240 mm 1950
Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and pencil 180 x 275 mm 1945	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and pencil 250 x 270 mm 1952
Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and pencil 270 x 250 mm Undated	Out on the suburban local roads of Murrumbeena Merric Boyd Coloured pencil 275 x 250 mm 1952
Untitled Merric Boyd Colour pencil, pencil and crayon with water 270 x 250 mm Undated	Untitled Merric Boyd Watercolour 180 x 275 mm 1944
Untitled Merric Boyd Water colour, coloured pencil and wax 250 x 270 mm undated	Untitled Merric Boyd Water colour, coloured pencil and wax 250 x 270 mm undated
A Gum Tree Merric Boyd Colour pencil & wash 250 x 270 mm 1950	Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and pencil 250 x 270 mm 1950
Untitled Merric Boyd Coloured pencil and crayon with wash 250 x 270 mm undated	Up the Country Merric Boyd Crayon with wash and pencil 250 x 270 mm Undated

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*** Other Web Sites By Us ***

Hatton Beck
Friedl Gardner : A Life In Family And Art
Doris Boyd : A Life In Family And Art
Lucy Boyd Beck : A Life In Family and Art
Jean Langley : Painter and Writer

This web site was conceived and written by Colin Smith, and developed by Paul Caine and Colin Smith 2004.
Thank you to Lucy Boyd Beck and David Boyd for supporting, reviewing and approving this Site.
Thank you to Rob and Margot Beck for there assistance in the making of this Site.
All photographs have been reproduced with permission of Copyright Owners.
* Photographed by Paul Caine.

* * * * * *

Merric Boyd drawing on foggy evening, Murrumbeena
Arthur Boyd Oil on canvas 1090 x 2290 mm 1967-68

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