The Fantastic Merlins

Art in the cafe...

Laurel Statz


"The Spectator"


December 2025



Laurel Statz is a painter and Madison area native. Her work, while figurative, is influenced by abstraction and minimalism. The paintings often have a quick and instinctual nature, capturing just what’s needed. While she often times herself to eliminate extra details and over-precision, she has ventured into more detailed works as well. Laurel does not attach narrative to her pieces. Rather, she thinks of them like a journaling process for her scatter-brained psyche. The figures in the pieces are meant to be processing tools for the artist and the viewer. She hopes that seeing these figures helps the...
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Ruth Comfort


"The Metaphysical Affect"


January 2026



A diverse collection of mixed mediums, extensively encapsulating my heart and soul concerning the dreams of the human condition. ARTISAN RUTH COMFORT My given name is Ruth Comfort. Named after the amazing artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. I hail from a very long line of artisans and musicians. Even dating back to the great German philosopher...
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Friday, August 26, 2005

Intensely cinematic and entirely unique, the rare beauty of New York City and Minneapolis based instrumental combo The Fantastic Merlins begins with the group---s unusual blend of cello (Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan), saxophone (Nathan Hanson), bass (Brian Roessler), and drums (Federico Ughi). Replete with stunning dynamics and melodies that range from playful to mournful, the resulting style encompasses avant-garde jazz and chamber music alike, as well as everything in between. This kind of genre-bending anti-pop typically caters to the jazz or classical crowd, but The Fantastic Merlins have already attracted the attention of a widely diverse audience. The group will tour in Summer 2005 behind their debut live EP The Fantastic Merlins.

Music