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Megan Meinke Seiter Works
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San Pablo, California
My fixation with realism began the moment I picked up my first crayon. Like most children, my drawings consisted of simple stick figures and smiley-faces. I drew them by the dozens, transforming my house into a gallery of colorful artwork. My goal, even then, was to create pictures that would accurately represent the world around me.
As a young adult I began attending figure drawing sessions, and fell in love with the human form. Each model offered a unique opportunity to explore texture, shape, and unconsidered beauty. I continued to study portraits and figures as an undergraduate student, and though my focus eventually shifted, this exploration of the figure left a lasting impression on how I approach my work today. I infuse many of my still life drawings with the same quiet intimacy that I did in my portraits. I’ve discovered that, like people, I can find surprisingly emotive qualities in inanimate objects. My compositions focus on the subject alone, without a contextual background, so as to shine light on the details that make each object distinctive.
I build my drawings with light layers of colored pencils and pastels. Each of my drawings reflects my love for color, texture, and subtle value shifts. An uncommon medium among most professional artists, colored pencils offer a relatively new approach to fine art work. They’re distinguished by their exceptional ability to render fine detail, and they become luminous and vibrant when applied in soft layers. Through my pencil work, I’m able to get close to the goal I set as a young girl. I continue to push the boundaries of my medi- um to achieve the highest level of realism that I can.
EDUCATION
BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art
AWARDS & HONORS
First Place UKCPS Maritime Competition, 2021 Runner-up Best in Show UKCPS
Inside the Lines Exhibition, 2021 Second Place Colored Pencil Magazine
Annual Art Competition, 2021
Best Floral International Guild of Realism
Fall Salon Exhibition, 2021 Honorable Mention Artists Network
Artistic Excellence Competition, 2021
Windsor & Newton Award for Exceptional Merit
CPSA Annual International Exhibition, 2021 Best Still Life/Botanical
Jackson’s Painting Prize, 2021
Best Floral International Guild of Realism
Spring Salon Exhibition, 2021
Distinguished Achievement in Still Life American Women Artists Lifting the Sky Exhibition, 2021
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Dolby Chadwick Gallery Drawing Exhibition, California 2022
McBride Gallery International Guild of Realism’s International Juried Exhibition, Maryland 2022
Principle Gallery Small Works Show, Virginia 2021 International Guild of Realism’s Fall Salon
Exhibition, 2021
Arcadia Contemporary Five and Under,
New York 2021
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
“Five to Watch” Fine Art Connoisseur, 2022
“Still Life” International Artist, 2022
“Persistence Pays Off” Color Magazine, 2022
“Artistic Excellence” Southwest Art, 2022
“Strokes of Genius” The Best of Drawing, 2022 “Annual Competition” Colored Pencil Magazine, 2021 “Florals & Gardens” International Artist, 2021
“Five to Watch” Southwest Art, 2021
REPRESENTATION
Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco CA Meyer Gallery, Santa Fe NM