Megan J Seiter is an American artist specializing in colored pencil still life drawings. Originally from Rhode Island, she received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, and in 2009 moved to California to pursue her career as an artist. Megan's work is distinguished by her attention to fine detail and nuance in color. She works with wax-based and oil-based colored pencils, building layers of color that add depth and luminosity to her works. ARTIST STATEMENTMy 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 wax-based and oil-based colored pencils. Each of my drawings reflects my love for color, texture, and subtle value shifts. An uncommon medium among most professional artists, the 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 medium to achieve the highest level of realism that I can.