Morrigan Hayes
Discover Morrigan Hayes, a Cache Valley figurative artist whose layered oil, acrylic, and charcoal works explore gender fluidity, identity, and authenticity.
Meet Morrigan Hayes
Morrigan Hayes is a visual artist whose work explores the human figure, often centering gender fluid and androgynous identities through oil paint, acrylic, and charcoal. Building her pieces in layers—beginning with fast, textured acrylic underpaintings and moving into the subtle richness of oils—she approaches painting like sculpting in two dimensions, refining edges and softening transitions to reflect the complexity of identity and presence.
Her subjects are frequently those whose bodies, expressions, or identities fall outside mainstream narratives. Depicted close-up, often isolated from literal settings, and set against abstract or atmospheric backdrops, these figures embody unapologetic presence while inviting viewers to sit with themes of authenticity, defiance, and visibility. Hayes’ practice responds to her upbringing in a religious culture that preached unconditional love but failed to follow through in practice. Using color, contrast and brush strokes, she explores what true acceptance could look like.
Born and raised in Montana, Hayes was introduced to art early through her father and nurtured her creativity with county fair submissions and a formative teenage art program. After years spent in Northern California immersed in the filmmaking , she eventually returned to visual art, drawing on personal experience, narrative, and emotion as guiding forces in her practice. A move to Southwestern Idaho in 2022, combined with the discovery of her own neurodivergence, deepened her connection to art as a means of healing and navigating sensory sensitivities.
Now based in Cache Valley, Utah, Hayes continues to create work that holds space for complexity, celebrates overlooked identities, and gently challenges boundaries of who we think deserves to be seen.