We were lucky to catch up with Haylee Syphus recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Haylee, thanks for joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
During the Fall of last year, I went on a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon with my family to see the beautiful leaves. We found ourselves taking a walk around Silver Lake. It was stunning! I went up again that same week to plein air paint the fall colors reflecting in the lake. While I was painting several people came up and talked with me, but one gentleman stuck around and asked if he could buy this painting, and it wasn’t even finished. I was flattered. He began to tell me how meaningful the painting was to him. His wife passed away just a year prior and they would always go on a trip to Utah to see the Fall colors. He wasn’t going to come and see the fall leaves this year because it was overwhelming to travel and live without her. After the landscape was completed I shipped it out to him and he was so excited. His daughter sent me a message expressing how grateful they were to have this painting of the first happy memory since. “So I just want to thank you for giving him a special memory of what turned out to be a very meaningful day for my whole family. I am so happy he’ll have your painting over his fireplace as a memory of a very special trip.” It was the best experience I’ve had as an artist. He felt honored to own this painting that reminded him of his late wife, but he will never know how special this memory was for me. This experience always reminds me of how powerful and emotional art can be.
Haylee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up in Southern California and Southern Utah; painting desert scenes and red rocks feels like painting pictures of home. I enjoy painting meaningful landscapes on unique hexagon canvases. I’ve always loved art and took several classes throughout my school years, but never thought of pursuing a professional career as an artist. It wasn’t until the COVID pandemic that I was pushed to pick up a brush and disappear into tranquil sceneries. I knew I wanted to stand out and experiment with building my own canvases, but I knew if I was going to spend time making these canvases they were going to be a unique shape, thus the signature hexagon canvases were born. I learned to build floating wooden frames for each piece of work because I felt bad thinking collectors would have to get custom frames built. During the process of framing each piece, I fell in love with how expressive the frames can be and it became another form of art.
The art world may seem oversaturated with landscapes, but each landscape holds a beautiful memory. Every artist has a very distinct painting style. Seven artists can paint the same view and not one will be the same. I find that beautiful.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The best support I’ve had as an artist is having local businesses display local art for free for a month. Hopkins Brewery and Salt Lake Pottery Studio are two businesses that support artists in the best way. I have sold original pieces through this process and the businesses receive beautiful rotating artwork from local artists at no extra cost to them. I believe that every business should be doing this.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
NFTs do not concern me, I view them as their own category of art. Still valuable, but in its own way.
Contact Info:
- Website: hayleesyphusart.myshopify.com
- Instagram: @hayleesyphusart