"I just love painting. I would paint on the ground. I would paint in the mud. I just like making marks. And I think that's a really human desire to make marks," Haywood explains. "It's a journey. It's about that exploration."
For Haywood, finding balance in his art is an integral part of his process.
"There's an intellectual part, but then there's this totally emotional part," Haywood reveals. "So we took this surfing lesson, and the couple of times that I got up, just like painting. You're moving on something that you're trying to balance and it's taking you... you have no control. You're just trying to balance. And that's what painting is for me."
Haywood's artistic journey starts with an intention, an emotion, an idea.
"I think my work is like gumbo. I'm constantly adding and I'm constantly subtractive," Haywood says.
In creating his pieces, Haywood adds different layers of paint to his wooden canvas, and later, takes them away.
"I'm uncovering by scraping with the floor scraper or doing something with a sander, or even just using a razor blade," Haywood states. "I don't know what's there until I go back and start scraping. And that's what painting is for me trying to uncover this abstract image that resonates emotionally with me. And then I share that."
As Haywood evolves as an artist, he has started exploring wood sculpture. His latest exhibit was on display at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael.
"If you've never seen sculpture and you happen to see this show and you're like, 'I want to go see more sculpture,' then my show has been a success because it's kind of allowed someone to explore something that they've never explored before," Haywood says.
Looking towards the future, Haywood hopes his art will always communicate with people.
"This is my legacy. I don't have children. So how will these works speak to my integrity, my honesty, my vulnerability," Haywood shares.
For more information, visit his website.