Hey Hey! I'm Michelle

I’m a self-taught mixed media artist, creating bold, color-soaked art for people—just like you—who know life’s too short for beige walls.

A Few Fun Facts

  • It's Never Too Late

    I didn’t start my art career in my 20s — I began in midlife, when most people feel like it’s “too late.” For me, it was the perfect timing. It’s my midlife adventure, a way of creating sanctuary for myself and hopefully inspiring others to live more boldly and from the inside out.

  • Reinventing Myself

    My "real" last name isn't Sunna \☀️Sun- na\. The truth is, Michelle Wood is my everyday self — the one who handles the lists, the schedules, the to-dos. But Michelle Sunna is my artist self, the one who remembers to savor life, who sees the world through bursts of color and connection. She’s not separate from me, she’s just the part of me brave enough to take up space on a canvas.

  • Doing it Anyway

    I rarely feel “ready” when I step into something new — including this whole midlife leap into art. Most of the time, I paint and share while still figuring it all out. But I’ve learned that waiting until we feel ready can mean never starting. My hope is that by showing up anyway, I can remind others that it’s okay to begin before you have it all together.

About Me: The Expanded Version

For much of my life, I was a caregiver — the one holding space, offering comfort, and making sure others were supported. It was meaningful work, but somewhere along the way I realized I had set aside parts of myself that were longing to be expressed. The shift to painting was my turning point: from giving so much outward, to finally creating something inward that could shine back out into the world.

Motherhood has been my greatest teacher. I thought my role was to guide my children into becoming who they were meant to be, but what I discovered is that the most important gift I could give them was permission — permission to simply be themselves. Along the way, I realized I wasn’t offering myself that same freedom.

Art became the doorway back to me. Through painting, I began learning what I had been teaching my children all along: that authenticity is where the magic lives. As I allowed myself to loosen the grip of perfection, to play, to make mistakes and see beauty in the mess, I finally began to embrace the fullness of who I am.

And something incredible happened — as I supported myself more, my children began to shine more authentically too. They mirrored the very thing I was reclaiming: a life lived from the inside out.

Now, each brushstroke is a reflection of that journey. My work is bold, colorful, and unapologetically alive — a reminder that when we allow ourselves to be who we truly are, we create space for others to do the same.

I live in Northwest Arkansas with my husband and our four children, whose light and support continues to inspire me every day.