Misha Gundersen
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AQ Volume IV artist Misha René Gundersen is an oil painter and ceramicist based in Nashville, Tennessee. She is interested in surrealism, cubism, and expressionism and is influenced by Bacon, Picasso, Dali, David Lynch, and Tarantino. Committed to a body of work that seeks to explore the intimacy of life, she uses vibrant abstraction to examine the lines between the surreal and the mundane.
Gundersen is an emerging, self-taught creative who is beginning to gain recognition in the art world. References to art and human history, the cowboy culture she grew up in, and the nightmares she can't seem to shake all take center stage across her emotion-evoking paintings.
www.mishagundersen.com
What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?
Honestly, I don't think I had a choice. I always had my large green box of colors with me as a kid and have been drawing or painting for as far back as I can remember. It took me most of my life though to become good at it and I believe I will always be on that path of learning. I don't think my story has a stark moment of commitment, I just feel really bad when I am not making something. I become overrun by depression and anxiety, and my ADHD seems unfed and agitated if I don't do it. I am madly, deeply in love with it, and I wouldn't be myself at all without it.
Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?
Well, I have been painting a lot of different things. I am in an in-between of a series, so I think I am searching for what feeds my soul right now. I have some western paintings laying around, and I have been playing around with neoclassicism/romanticism and twisting my dreams or nightmares into them. I think I am currently allowing my heart to guide me. I'm just doing what feels the most inspiring to me right now and feel really grateful for the freedom and the time I have for it.
What was the most challenging part of your path so far? How are you navigating this obstacle?
I would say trying to make a career out of it. It feels unnatural sometimes to paint what is true for me with the need to sell it. It seems counterintuitive. It feels very difficult to stick with an idea all the way through because I think for the first time in my life I am wondering if someone will like this enough to buy it or come and see it in person... I have been battling a lot with not allowing that outside voice to seep in. Some days I win, some I don't. I think it's okay and all part of it, and I take it one moment at a time to try to stay as true and present as possible. If I can't, I walk away for a little while.
What role does experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?
That is my whole thing. I am a risk-taker in almost every aspect of my life. It keeps things interesting. I have ADHD and I have struggled with it my whole life - I move fast... So, I NEED constant exploration to keep my interest. It can be exhausting and exhilarating, and I think that space is where most of the whimsy in my work comes from. When you look at my paintings, you can feel things all the way to your core, and I leave a lot of space for you to decide what it all means. I almost never give too much of that away.
Do you have any start or stop rituals before creating?
I do not, I have no rules, no rituals! I just show up every day. However I am—but I never force anything. I am gentle with it all.
What message do you hope your art conveys to the world?
I hope that I, and my work, can send a message of individuality and how absolutely important that is. That you do not always need to be liked. That you are genuine and true, and that you contain something so uniquely magical. If you are missing that and you are viewing my work—I hope to god that it screams at you and that you leave it feeling something. I hope it encourages you to take the risk and to ultimately believe in yourself. You would be shocked at how many people I sit with (I am a tattoo artist) who are so lovely and they are so worried or scared to be who they are. So worried about what others think. It breaks my heart.
Share a mantra or favorite quote that keeps you going.
“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer
