Artist Statement

My practice is grounded in place, identity, and ancestral connection. As a self-taught mixed Mi’kmaq/Settler artist, my work is deeply informed by cultural teachings, lived experience, and the landscapes that continue to shape me. I explore the intersection of traditional ways of life and contemporary experience, using painting as a means of reflection, resistance, and continuity. Working with acrylic, I create images that span nature, still life, portraiture, and landscape. Bold composition and an intuitive, evolving visual language allow me to respond emotionally and instinctively to each subject. My process is guided by feeling rather than strict realism, prioritizing presence, atmosphere, and story over perfection. Beyond painting, my practice functions as a visual statement rooted in integrity, inclusivity, and pride. Community engagement is central to my work. I am invested in creating and supporting spaces that uplift emerging and underrepresented artists while remaining accessible and authentic. I believe art should be open, honest, and unapologetically strange, reflecting the complexity of the people and places it comes from. Through my work, I aim to honour where I come from while carving space for new narratives to exist alongside tradition.

Biography

Hailey Storm is a self-taught mixed Mi’kmaq/Settler artist based in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. A member of the St. George’s Indian Band on the coastal shores of western Newfoundland, Storm’s practice is deeply informed by her cultural heritage, teachings, and traditions. Her multidisciplinary body of work spans nature, still life, portraiture, and landscape—each piece characterized by bold composition and an ever-evolving visual language. Grounded in a profound sense of place, identity, and ancestral connection, her paintings explore the intersection of traditional ways of life and contemporary experience.

Having experimented with nearly every medium, Storm ultimately found her voice through acrylic painting. Since an early age, her work has been featured in numerous local galleries and public art initiatives, including Pierscape Art Gallery (2014), ConnectArts’ Emerging Artists Public Gallery (2020), Youth Art Connection’s Artpreneurs: Virtual Art Gallery (2021), and the Downtown Sydney Association’s Art Walk permanent installation (2023). Building on the success of her first self-curated pop-up exhibition at The Cellar Bar—one of her most cherished community spaces—Storm went on to organize subsequent Cellar Exhibits, the Escape to Sea Art Gallery Exhibition, and her first solo exhibition ‘Apajas’i’, supported by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s ‘Creative Catalyst Program’. later in 2025, Storm successfully went on to curate her first professionally funded exhibition ‘Counter Culture: Seeds of Resistance’ as part of Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Designs first round of their ‘Emerging Curators Program’. Storm’s practice extends beyond painting—it functions as a visual statement. Deeply engaged with the local art community, she examines what it means to create with integrity, inclusivity, and pride. She is an advocate for emerging and underrepresented artists, emphasizing inclusivity and authenticity within creative spaces. Storm’s vision is both ambitious and grounded: to keep the art scene open, respectful, and unapologetically weird.