Chris Merrill first showed his paintings publicly in 1987, when he entered the Merchant's Showcase Art Contest of the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, taking first prize in the watercolor medium.

He began exhibiting a few works at Gallery One at this time and took first place in the contest again in 1988, followed by a two-person show with his brother at Gallery One. In the Spring of 1992, Gallery One gave him his first one-man show, which very nearly sold out.
Merrills most recent creative efforts have included a series of paintings of the golf course and environs of the Samoset Resort. He continues to live in the Rockland area with his wife, Debbie.