Merlin Cunliffe was born in Hertfordshire England, in 1935.  His interest in fish began when his father stocked the moat round their Elizabethan house with Goldfish, Golden Rudd, and Golden Orfe.  At the beginning of the 2nd world war, his mother, two sisters, and a brother were evacuated to the USA and, at the age of five he was given his first 2 goldfish.  This sowed the seeds of his interest in Goldfish, and from this time to the present he has always been involved in Goldfish keeping hobby and has been a member of the Goldfish Society of Great Britain and the Goldfish Society of America.  For 21 years he had a commercial Goldfish farm and still breeds some varieties, mainly Bristol Shubunkins.  He provided the illustrations for the GFSA Guidelines and illustrations for Dr. Joseph Smartt's fine book Goldfish Varieties and Genetics.   He learned painting from Wilfrid Blunt, and outstanding botanical artist and author of The Art of Botanical Illustration and studied Zoology at Cambridge University.  His current project is to paint as many known Goldfish varieties as possible while he still can.  He now lives in the Yarra Valley, Australia, with his wife Amanda, an accomplished botanical artist.

To view Merlin's colored line drawings, which are offered for sale, please click on this link. Purchase Merlin's Prints