Meet Haylee Nichols

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haylee Nichols.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m originally from Long Island, New York and decided to move to Los Angeles when I was 25. Coming from a family of artists, writers, musicians and master gardeners, it felt natural to want to pursue a creative career. In 2017, I decided to start my own business, Stone Grove, which was originally my floral work only. I specialized in events, local flower deliveries, custom arrangements, photoshoots, and installations.

In the fall of 2018, I had the opportunity to provide floral backdrops for Yogi Tea, creating three elaborate backdrops for professional yogis to drink tea while holding difficult yoga poses. I expressed myself through a medium I never thought that I would work with professionally. Then I began to paint again after not painting since finishing art school (Purchase College major in painting ‘12) I decided to make Stone Grove more of an arts collective where I could showcase all of my creative outlets. After visiting Maine for the first time in summer of 2018, I started the Maine Series, based on a series of photographs I take while in Maine. I have continued with the series since then. I have always been drawn to different painting styles. While I love working from the landscape, I also have a deep connection to abstract art. I have always balanced these different approaches in my own practice, I feel that there is much to learn from both.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think in the beginning, I wanted everything to happen all at once. Once I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I began to appreciate the process more and create as much as I could while maintaining a high quality of work that I was proud of. Trying to balance starting a business while also making enough money to support myself definitely felt like a juggling act in the beginning. But seeing people’s reactions and feeling the support from friends, clients, and other creatives made me work even harder at turning my passions into my livelihood.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
With my florals, I provide custom arrangements, bouquets, florals for photoshoots, events, and installations. My florals are colorful, vibrant and lush. I tend to use more unique flowers and greenery because it allows me to set myself apart from other florists and experiment with my own style. I love for my designs to feel like you’ve stepped into a beautifully arranged garden, curated, considered and natural all at once. I strongly believe that listening to my client’s wants and needs while also staying true to my artistic vision makes any experience I have with a client successful and memorable.

My artwork has taken me on a journey over the past year and a half. I’ve really enjoyed going back and forth between abstract and photorealism. I mainly use flash and acrylic on canvas, wood panel, and thick paper. When I started the Maine Series, I had no idea the reaction it was going to get! I began to sell piece after piece feeling so inspired referring back to the photos I had taken when visiting Cape Rosier for the first time in the summer of 2018. I love those moments when a landscape just absolutely takes your breath away. When you don’t want to leave a place and you want time to stop so you can see something the same way forever. That’s what all of that work feels like to me. I love strong colors, and I love a fluidity to my medium.

I’ve proved to myself that if I commit to doing work that I know is true to what I love, nature, color, and an emotional connection to the subject, I can make a path for myself that sets me apart from others. I am so proud of and grateful for the connections I’ve made over the past few years. To be able to collaborate with other creatives whether it be on a floral project or with talented artists has been life-changing.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.stonegrovela.com
• Instagram: (Floral IG) Instagram.com/_stonegrove (Artwork IG) Instagram.com/_stonegrovepaints

Image Credits
Portrait outside- Photo by Patrick Hoff Portrait working with flowers- Photo by Kristen Dorata Orange Yogi Tea photo with text- Photo by Danielle Levitt, Set Design by Brittany Porter