Merlene Schain (1948–2022) was a Cincinnati-born painter, mixed-media artist, and acclaimed art educator whose life was dedicated to art and teaching. Merlene holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati. She was a descendant of 19th-century German painter Adolph von Menzel and Rookwood Pottery master potter John von Menzel, continuing a family lineage deeply connected to art and craftsmanship.

 

An exhibiting artist since 1972, Merlene maintained a lifelong practice in painting and mixed media. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection, Fidelity Investments, Merrill Dow, and Lifesphere. She continued making art throughout her life, only stopping when she could no longer hold a brush.

 

In 1989, Merlene founded Schain Studios, an independent art school in Glendale, Ohio. Over the course of her teaching career, she mentored generations of young artists, helping her students earn more than 300 regional and national Scholastic awards and over $900,000 in college scholarships from leading art schools across the country. She also taught at the University of Cincinnati and the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

 

Her legacy lives on through her artwork, the many students she mentored, and the family tradition of art and education she carried forward.