Meg Stineman loves to paint. Her portraits portray not just the likeness of the person, but the essence of their personality. Her paintings are done realistically, but with spontaneous brush strokes that place the subject in a world with more color, movement, and light. Her landscapes and seascapes are portals to a different place. Meg has been influenced by many artists. Her art was supported in her youth by two influential teachers: a middle school teacher who could see the potential long before she did, and a high school teacher that challenged her to do better and to take risks. Upon graduating high school, she pursued art at University of Northern Iowa. Her studio art degree has an emphasis on graphic design, painting and drawing. Naturally, her favorite class was human drawing or figurative art. After raising four children until school aged, she dove back into her art, starting with the foundation of all paintings, drawing. When she craved color for her portraits, she started to paint in oil. Meg searches for the magic in every painting, a characteristic that is missing in most photos. She plays with the texture, light, and movement until the magic appears. John Singer Sargent, Monet, and Vermeer are painters of the past she admires. Current artists include: Pino Daeni, Mark Carder and her latest love, Vladimir Volegov.