the artist
Haley Rich Thomas
Hello, and welcome to my studio. Based in Reno, Nevada, I am a painter creating work inspired by nature and the emotional experiences of life. I draw inspiration from real stories. Real losses. Real joy. Art that celebrates the sorrow and the joy, the chaos and the peace. All of it.
Because no human experience is ever truly isolated, I sometimes share poems, journal entries, or stories alongside the work I release. The paintings and the words are part of the same conversation.
My story
My interest in art began before my long term memory did, so I don’t even remember painting for the first time. I do remember being too short to see over the bathroom counter and helping my mom with projects. I remember being in preschool and begging for paint.
It wasn’t until college that I began creating work for myself though. It started with graphic design projects and digital art first, before I bravely began sharing my paintings. It felt like sharing a part of my soul. It still does.
Since then, I’ve sold art prints globally, painted commissions for clients all over the US and Canada, and watched my work evolve into something I truly believe in.
Why paint?
I could list many reasons why I paint. It is an essential part of who I am. I paint to find my way back to joy. And I want the work to keep doing that for people I may never meet, my whole life long and long after I'm gone.
That’s the simplest way I know how to say it.
The longer answer lives in the people and experiences that have shaped me:



What I've learned is that joy which has survived something is different from joy that was never tested. It has weight to it. I think people feel that in the work — even when they don't know the story.

