Michelle Dunaway is an internationally known American artist whose paintings are revered for their bold brushwork yet sensitive portrayal of emotions that capture the human experience. Her artwork has been featured in numerous publications including International Artist, Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist, Southwest Art, Art of the West, and American Art Collector, along with inclusion in several art books.
Dunaway’s work has received many awards and honors including the award of Exceptional Merit at the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition in 2010 for her painting The Daughters of Jane Seymour, Finalist in the 2012/13 Art Renewal Salon Competition, as well as being invited to be the featured artist at the 2014 California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition.
This drawing was done on location at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Most recently Dunaway received the award of Exceptional Merit in the 2016 Portrait Society competition and a certificate of excellence in the 2017 competition. Michelle receives invitations to teach, lecture, and give painting demonstrations at various schools and events internationally. She exhibits in galleries nationwide, and her paintings are in private collections throughout the US and Europe.
Richard has been a close friend and mentor over the years. This portrait was selected as one of the top 24 finalists (out of 2,733 worldwide entries ) in the 2018 International Portrait Society Competition and won the award of Exceptional Merit
“To me, the extraordinary resides in the everyday moments of life, those moments when we stop, pay attention, and feel gratitude,” Dunaway says. “All of us experience such moments, and they transform us for the better. These instances of human life, personal reflection, and inspiration are what I love to capture in paint.”
This was a commissioned painting of Hugh Clements. Hugh’s parents flew me out to South Carolina to spend time with Hugh on their family farm. He loved playing with this rope and taught me how to rope with it. At five he had a maturity beyond his years as he showed me around the farm and taught me to rope cattle (the pretend cattle on the front lawn). He was a good teacher — I got the horns on my first try!
This coming November, artists will have the opportunity to learn from Dunaway at the 2nd Annual Figurative Art Convention & Expo in Miami, Florida. Learn about the workshops and scholarships, and enter to win a free ticket at figurativeartconvention.com. Register soon – the price increases July 4!
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