Meg Mercier is one of Massachusetts’ most notable young artists. A recipient of the Copley Society's prestigious Maria Maravigna Award for excellence in painting, Mercier brings a fresh outlook to her work. "If I've captured that aspect that makes a painting true, I can sell it," says Mercier. "People don't know why, but they're drawn to it."

An understanding of light gives mercer's work an unforgettable quality. "I love to see a painting with a beautiful light effect," she says. "I love to see light drifting across objects and catching the highlights."

Mercier has an ability to subconsciously respond to her subjects. "I have a true respect for nature, and I let the truth of the object be more important than myself. If I try to show off my talent or use tricks that I've learned, the beauty of the moment is lost."

A sensitivity to color is another quality that sets Mercier's work apart. "If I'm searching for the color relationships in painting, my feet can hurt and I could have a headache, but Ill still want to keep going. I really don't care if I get the right color of the shadows."

Although Mercier focuses on capturing realism in her paintings, she's had no problem developing her own style. "You'd think that realistic paintings were all the same and repetitive, but we can all be drawing from the same figure and you would still know someone's drawing. Some people use more shadow. Some people are drawn more to lines. Some people like to work on feet and hands. Its part of their personality."

Mercier paints in a variety of styles, including landscapes, still life's and portraits. "They're all a part of the world in front of me. I haven't reached a point where I have to choose and say that I'm a landscape painter or a portrait painter. I don't want to give anything up yet."

A Michigan native, Mercier didn't begin painting until she graduated from Miami University in Ohio with a degree in zoology. Much of her creativity was inherited from her mother, a professional sculptor. "There were always paints around the house," she recalls. "We painted walls in our house and made things. Every holiday revolved around some kind of creativity. My mom had us drawing and copying cartoons. When we were growing up, she was always fixing up old furniture. She liked to rearrange rooms. Our house always had personality."

A meeting with an artist at a family reunion in 1985 encouraged her to study classical painting with Paul Ingbretson at the Ingbretson Studios. She spent the next eight years apprenticing under Ingbretson. "I'm not a modern artist at heart. The paintings that I grew up loving were not abstract. I like Paul's’ philosophy that, once you have discipline, it will give you more freedom in the end."

Mercier graduated in 1993 and set up her own studio at Ingbretson’s. "I love being still involved. I feel very much a part of the community."