Hailey Sullivan has been drawing for as long as she can remember.
The 23-year-old portrait artist from Belleville, Wisconsin, says family members still like to tell her stories about how she used to fall asleep with a crayon in her hand when she was a child.
“Drawing has always been a part of me,” Hailey explained. “In high school, any art classes I took were what I looked forward to and the highlight of my day.”
Horses naturally became what Hailey liked to draw the most. She had a passion for riding, and grew up around horses, thanks to an aunt who also caught the horse bug. But she didn’t realize she could combine her passions – of horses and drawing – and turn it into a business until college.
“Growing up, family friends would commission me to draw their pets and the routine would be them giving me a picture in portrait style,” she said. “To capture their personality was my goal. I drew horses for fun. Starting out, I could never get enough and thrived to get their anatomy just right.”
Hailey attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in art & design. After her first year of studies, she decided to change it up.
“I felt my creative growth was not progressing in an academic arena,” Hailey said. So in 2017, she moved to San Diego, California, and that’s where she’s lived ever since.
Hailey draws portrait-style pieces of animals – not just horses, but of cats, dogs and other creatures. Her work has been featured in Equine Real EState Magazine in San Diego, Almanac Equestrian, The Plaid Horse, and in SD Voyager. Earlier this year, her work was featured in Calling All Horse Girls Magazine, volume 1. And now, her equine portraits are featured on Ecogold’s website.
“Ecogold is my first [business] collaboration,” Hailey described. “My dearest friend and trainer was the one who introduced me to Ecogold. I remember the first time I saw the Flip Half Pad and how such a sleek and minimal look it had. I guess because I admired her wisdom so much and how she took the time to do her research, I knew this company was doing something right.”
We love Hailey just as much as she loves Ecogold, so we decided to do something special. From July 7 to August 7, anyone who orders an Ecogold pad will be entered to win a personalized drawing, by Hailey.
Hailey said even though she is not riding or competing regularly these days, she’s always been able to keep horses in her life one way or another. Working with equestrian brands like Ecogold is one way she’s able to do that.
“Because we both share the same interest in the love for horses and making a product we can stand behind, I thought a collaboration would be extraordinary,” Hailey said.
You can follow Hailey’s work on her website and her Instagram account.
