“Voglio che l’opera non solo catturi il paesaggio, ma anche la mia risposta emotiva in quel momento.”
“I want the artwork to not only capture a landscape, but also my emotional response to it in that moment.”
I dipinti di Missy sono esposti a livello internazionale e sono stati acquisiti in collezioni pubbliche tra cui la Carnegie Mellon University, la Folger Shakespeare Library di Washington DC, il South Molton Museum in Inghilterra e altri.
Il viaggio ha fatto parte della sua vita sin da quando era piccola e un taccuino da disegno l’ha sempre accompagnata. I suoi schizzi la raccontano; parlano, con una dolcezza difficile da esprimere se non attraverso la sua pittura, dei luoghi che ha visto, delle sue impressioni ed emozioni.
Missy H. Dunaway is an artist and illustrator. Her paintings are exhibit internationally and have been acquired into public collections including Carnegie Mellon University, the Folger Shakespeare Library of Washington DC, and the South Molton Museum in England.
The journey has been part of her life since her childhood and a pictorial diary has always accompanied her. Her sketches talk about herself and the world in an extremely spontaneous way.
In che modo il viaggio fa parte della tua vita?
How is the journey part of your life?
I’m from a Navy family, so I grew up traveling and my wanderlust was inspired early. In 2013 I moved abroad to Turkey with a Fulbright Fellowship to study Anatolian textiles for one year. Since then, I have traveled through Turkey, Morocco, France, Sweden, Finland, England, and Iceland. I travel both independently and through the help of grants, fellowships and artist-in-residence programs. These organizations offer artists a studio and living space for several months to complete artwork or inspire site-specific projects. These days I attend one artist residency every year, allowing me to travel abroad for several months. My home base is in southern Maine, USA.
Come hai imparato a disegnare?
How did you learn to draw?
I’ve drawn in my free time for as long as I can remember. My parents also took care to nurture my talent at a young age, so I’ve been in art classes in and outside of school since childhood. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University in 2010, and in between semesters I studied color at the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Ora parlaci dei tuoi taccuini da disegno. Come è nato il progetto?
How did your project start?
It wasn’t a conscious decision; it just grew out of habit, as I’ve kept a sketchbook since college. Painting in my sketchbook has been a part of my daily routine for a decade, so it naturally took on diary-like qualities over the years. Subject matter became increasingly autobiographical and the sketchbook slowly evolved into the visual journal it is today.

Parla dei tuoi taccuini di viaggio. Che cosa vogliono esprimere?
Talk about your sketchbooks. What do they want to express?
My sketchbooks are simply a visual diary, and each page renders a memory from earlier that day, month, or year. I want the artwork to not only capture a landscape, but also my emotional response to it in that moment. All in all, the sketchbook doesn’t have a mission or crafted concept, it’s just a ritual; something I’ve always done for fun in the evenings.
Scegli uno o due disegni emblematici per te e spiega perchè li consideri tale.
Choose one design that is most emblematic to you and explain why you consider it so.
I love dramatic color and light, so I enjoy nocturnal cityscapes and sunsets. Below is the first autobiographical painting I ever made in my Moleskine sketchbook. It definitely set the tone for the whole project and practice, even years later. It’s still one of my favorites.
Quanto ci metti a fare un disegno?
How long do you need to make a painting?
Creation time usually falls within thirty minutes to six hours. Paintings that have simple compositions and few layers, like seascapes or silhouettes, can be completed in under an hour. Scenes that require several layers, like heavy foliage in daylight, can take up to six hours.
Ci sono artisti a cui ti ispiri?
Are you inspired by someone?
Many of the artist-in-residence programs I have attended, such as Babayan Culture House, Cafe Tissardmine, and AARK, are run by women. In addition to founding these organizations, they were also artists and musicians. I admired them very much and found them to be very driven, talented, strong, and inspiring. It’s a dream of mine to open my own art residency one day.

Quali sono i tuoi artisti preferiti?
I miei artisti preferiti sono Maria Kalman, Dan Eldon, William Blake, William Morris e Carl Jung – famoso più per i suoi lavori di psicologia, ma è anche creatore di un bellissimo quaderno illustrato chiamato “The Red Book”.
What’s your favorite artist?
My favorite artists are Maira Kalman, Dan Eldon, William Blake, William Morris, and Carl Jung– most famous for his work in psychology, but also the creator of a beautifull illustrated journal called The Red Book.
Raccontaci di una esperienza che per te è stata significativa in uno dei tuoi viaggi.
Penso spesso a quando mi sono trasferita per la prima volta a Istanbul. La Fulbright Fellowship era autoguidata, quindi ho dovuto trovare un appartamento, imparare la lingua e condurre ricerche da sola. Istanbul conta oltre 15 milioni di abitanti, trovare una casa non è stato facile, soprattutto perché non ero mai stata in Turchia prima d’ora. Attraverso l’aiuto di forum e annunci on-line ho trovato uno studio ad Harbiye, a un miglio da Piazza Taksim. Era un giorno molto caldo quando mi sono trasferita, così ho aperto tutte le mie finestre. Stavo lavando il pavimento quando la chiamata alla preghiera mi ha fatto saltare in aria nel mio studio. Ero in cima ad una collina e il quartiere sotto aveva una dozzina di moschee che trasmettevano la canzone attraverso megafoni. Il suono era così potente e ipnotico…Mi manca ascoltarlo e farne riferimento qualche volta nella mia opera d’arte. Questo è stato un momento in cui sono rimasta stupita da quanto la vita possa essere imprevedibile e quanto possa portarti lontano.
What was your most significant experience in one of your trips?
I often think about when I first moved to Istanbul. The Fulbright Fellowship was self-guided, so I had to find an apartment, learn the language, and conduct research on my own. Istanbul has over 15 million people, so finding an apartment wasn’t easy, especially since I had never been to Turkey before. Through the guidance of expat forums and Craigslist I found a studio in Harbiye, a mile from Taksim Square. It was a really hot day when I moved in, so I opened all my windows. I was mopping the floors when the Call to Prayer blasted into my studio. I was on top of a hill, and the neighborhood below had a dozen mosques that projected the song through megaphones. It was so powerful and mesmerizing. I miss hearing it and reference it a few times in my artwork. That was a moment when I was amazed by how unpredictable life can be and how far away it can take you.

Riesci a mantenerti solo con la tua arte?
La mia arte costituisce il 50% del mio reddito, ma è un’attività imprevedibile e ho ancora bisogno di un lavoro part-time per avere un po ‘di stabilità (e l’assicurazione sanitaria, se possibile). Ho fatto la cameriera, la baby-sitter, ho svolto un lavoro di amministrazione a tempo pieno e ho lavorato nel settore della vendita al dettaglio. Attualmente tengo corsi di disegno e pittura per adulti nel mio paese, il Maine, e sono molto contenta di questo equilibrio.
Can you maintain yourself with your art?
My art accounts for 50% of my income, but it’s unpredictable and I still need a part-time job to offer some stability (and health insurance, if possible). I’ve been a waitress, nanny, held a full-time administration job, and worked in retail. Right now teach drawing and painting classes for adults in my home state of Maine, and am very happy with this balance.
Hai desideri o progetti per il futuro?
Do you have wishes or plans for the future?
I would love to publish my travel journal. I’ve come close a few times, but the road to publishing a book is very long and winding. Another dream for later in life would be to found my own art residency program in Maine.