By Shya Beth
Graphite drawings of horses are timeless, and Hailey Sullivan’s pursuit of this skill has taken her far from home—both in distance and within American culture—and back home again. Growing up in Belleville, Wisconsin, she, like most young adults, listening to those around her and believing she was doing the right thing, chose to attend the University of Wisconsin for art and design. However, she felt deep down that university was not the right path, and that voice continued to grow.
“During my first semester, taking general art courses, I realized they weren’t fulfilling my potential,” Hailey said. “If anything, I wish I would’ve gone for business or marketing, practical skills an artist needs. Even though I stand by my decision today, I do think it’s important to recognize that you should always be learning.” Taking other routes such as investing in mentors, watching training videos and even collaborating with other artists has greatly impacted her perspective and her art journey.
After officially completing her first semester, Hailey dropped out of college and left “America’s Dairyland” for the sunny beaches and bright lights of San Diego, California. While living there for around seven years didn’t significantly impact her overall artistic style, adding a bit of color here and there through colored pencils and watercolors, Hailey found a new level of creative expression that changed the trajectory of her future art career—human skin.
While living in San Diego, she worked for a tattoo artist named Reese Hilburn for a summer. “It was one of the most groundbreaking experiences of my life,” Hailey said. “Even though I worked for her, I had the opportunity to learn valuable skills in marketing, tools for managing my own business and even ways to reshape my belief system as an artist—because as an entrepreneur, that’s very important! I’m also exploring transferring my style and art into living, breathing art on people’s skin.”
Hailey made the difficult decision to move back to Wisconsin in March 2025 due to the death of a family member. Leaving behind a life seven years in the making was hard, and the most difficult part was leaving her group of horse friends she had made in the San Diego area. While exploring the city and her own talents, she had also been riding regularly and soaking up as much time in the saddle and in the stable as possible—but horses weren’t gone forever. Fortunately, home in the diverse landscape of Wisconsin, Hailey had her original barn family to return to, now spending a few days a week mucking, prepping feed, watering and riding two to three times a week. It’s absolutely perfect: family, friends and horses.
Cultivating Confidence in Herself
Horses have been part of Hailey’s life from the start. Her introduction to horses was through her aunt’s horse, an Appaloosa. Then, because the horse world is so small, she met people who knew other people and eventually found a barn during high school where she could take lessons.
“The group of people there immediately became my second family,” she said. “It’s similar to art—drawing had always come easy to me, and it’s a mixture of both passion and calling. Drawing has always been a safe space for me growing up and during the transition into adulthood. There’s not a lot I’m confident in about myself so far in life, but drawing is the one thing that nobody can take away from me. It’s my therapy. I’ve been working to become a full-time artist for almost 10 years now, and I know I’m only 27, but I have such high expectations for my goals that sometimes I feel overwhelmed! It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, I do this because I love it, and less is more.”
Hailey primarily works from a photo her client sends of the animals they want rendered in graphite. With every drawing she starts, she always makes sure the sketch outline is accurate to the animal before she begins the shading process. “You always want to have a strong foundation, and everything else will flow,” she said. “It’s just like a house: it must have a strong foundation and structure for it to last for generations to come. From there, I believe the most important attributes are the eyes and then any marking or ‘fault,’ because when you have an animal, you most likely remember them by that imperfection. Ultimately, that’s what made them so imperfectly perfect to begin with.”
The goal of any artist is for the collector to enjoy the work, but Hailey takes that a step further. “I hope people get amazing, nostalgic flashbacks whenever they pass a piece of mine on their walls. I hope it will also be a conversation starter, because most people have to ask if my drawings are photographs at first. So I think it’s a nice way to start the recollection of a memory with the animal, in some cases keeping them alive by talking about them. It’s a win-win!”
Hailey is currently an apprentice in tattooing. Her time working in the tattoo shop in San Diego sparked an interest in the industry, and she’s now exploring the potential of transitioning her art onto skin, which would translate well into her five-year plan: spreading her style across as many platforms and mediums as possible, so she can reach the people that would benefit from her art.
For more information, visit hmsfineart.com
