MICHELLE SUNA HAS BEEN PAINTING FOR CLOSE TO THREE DECADES. NATURE, and her very personal view of it, continues to be her main focus of attention, as she is fascinated by its pristine forms and bold magisterial landscapes.
Suna's decision to become an artist came, when at the tender age of four, she grabbed her mothers lipsticks and went into the freshly painted, white garage and created a vibrant mural of pinks, reds, corals and salmons. "Thankfully, my encouraging and gifted father, Harry Suna, redirected me to classes of charcoal, oil and canvas," says the talented natural beauty. "It all felt right - as natural as riding a bike. I've been studying and creating ever since."
Michelle Suna studied art and communications at Syracuse University and later, interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. At the impressionable age of 19, Suna had the privilege of working for world­renowned architect Richard Meier. The young assistant was joyfully embraced by the rarefied light and the white and pristine forms. Add to that the abounding talent, strong characters and fabulously interesting friends and associates. Frank Stella, in particular struck an inspirational chord. Seven years later, she found herself working for the legendary nightclub impresarios Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, as their Director of Private Events at the Palladium, which found the artist among another amazingly resonant embrace of influential talents: Isozaki, Clemente, Basquiat, Putman, Starke and Isabel.
Suna's work has been described as "abstract reality." When asked if she agrees with that statement, she responds, "I express what I see with as little pretense or deliberate precision as possible, often finding a heading, and going on auto-pilot; instinctively reaching the destination."
The genre of Suna's paintings is widely varied. She says, "My works' many languages have always been about taking risks and exploration, in and around my collective expressions."
The fun-loving adventurer was inspired to paint these deeply moving visions when she found herself holding on for dear life on the back of a motorcycle at a very high speed on a curve. "I looked left, saw this beautiful field of poppies, and was calmed by the vision," Suna explains.
It is this kind of visceral serenity and sanctuary that is felt by the observer upon viewing these colorful, serene works. Suna's paintings and photographs enable the viewer to enter an evocative painterly world, without the muddle of artifice or barriers. Guided by her innate and direct aesthetic sense, she consistently explores color, light and form in a unique and courageous manner that produces a sublime integration of abstracted reality. "My work has always been about taking risks and exploration," Suna admits.
Verdant Poppy Field, oil on canvas, was sold at Christie's benefit dinner and auction for Tsunami Relief held earlier this year and was chosen by the curator for the events image. Another recent large work Untitled [Incoming Storm Over Sag Pond] can be seen in Will Smith's film, Hitch. Prayer For Solo Sailor, an incredibly moving painting, was conceived when the artist received the very sad news of her dear friend's disappearance at sea during the Third Edition of the Vendee Globe Around Alone Race. "It was the first of a series of 'visual prayers,' that there should be calm seas and fair winds during the days and nights of searching," the artist reveals.
Suna's multi-media disciplines, coupled with her passion for life, nature and art are vividly exemplified throughout her large and diverse body of work. Of all the countries and cultures she has visited, from France to Ireland to Portugal to Switzerland, Suna calls living in Sag Harbor profound content for her inspiration. "It's all been unique; however, Sag Harbor has by far been the nearest to my dearest La Trinite Sur Mer, Brittany, France," she says. "The similar maritime environment, the historical hamlets and the unique social worlds, have had a similar inspiration as I found amid the conifer strewn granite coasts and menhir laden fields of Brittany."
For nearly ten years, Suna has been living and working on the East End of Long Island, producing an exciting new series of paintings and photographs, influenced by the exquisite light and landscapes of the region. When not at the canvas in her studio creating, she often spends time caring for her two beloved Wheaton Terriers, who she saved from abandonment; at other times, she can be found nurturing her garden filled with lush evergreens and exotic flowers, which have a view of the sunset over Long Beach's shores.

"My works' many languages have always been about taking risks and exploration, in and around my collective expressions."

She has been invited to contribute works to a multitude of charities and benefits, and last spring, she participated in the Fourth Annual Children's Expression Project ArtRageous, along with artists Peter Beard, Romero Britto, Hunt Slonem and honoree Jeff Koons, which was a benefit for the Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families, a non­profit that serves and protects children who have been separated from their families. Most of the children are victims of child abuse, domestic violence, neglect or abandonment. Suna helped children create paintings, which later went to auction at their gala held at Cipriani. Other charities Suna has been invited to donate for include FACES (Find a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures), The CDHC,The Retreat and The Hamp­tons International Film Festival in which her brother, Stuart Match Suna, is Chairman of the Board.
Private collectors of Michelle Suna's works include Eric Clapton, Dieter Dierks, Ray Elvin, Corina Forstmann, Sasha Match and NBC's Mike Taibbi. Suna's works has been exhibited in galleries both in New York City and the Hamptons.