James A. Meger cannot remember a time in his life that he didn’t want to be an artist His rural upbringing and his love of nature have been the inspirations for his paintings.
The path wasn’t always smooth from dream to reality. While pursuing a B.F.A. in college, he was discouraged from portraying nature and realism by his professors. After completing his degree, he served as a combat officer in Vietnam for 14 months. Eventually, he ended up teaching back in Minnesota, but he still dreamed of painting. With a lot of outside encouragement, he gave up teaching and six weeks later won the Minnesota State Duck Stamp Competition for 1980. His career took off from that point and he has continued to garner awards. Besides stamp designs, he has won over 15 Best of Show and Popular Choice awards at major national shows around the country. He also works diligently with conservation organizations and has been the Pheasants Forever Artist of the Year for 6 years.
Meger contends that he is the luckiest man alive because he is living his dream.
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