Central to Gina Haywood’s practice is her mastery of the charcoal medium, transforming something raw into a delicate mark making tool. Due to their sophisticated, monochromatic aesthetic, upon first glance one could be forgiven for mistaking Haywood’s works as straight up photographs. However, closer inspection reveals complex sequences of texture and the precise application and removal of charcoal to the surface. Haywood has effectively created a fusion of contemporary digital images and traditional mark making using organic charcoal. The results are at once delicate and bold, sensual and classic.
Haywood primarily draws inspiration from the natural world in her work, choosing particularly photogenic subjects that lend themselves to her unique approach. One series takes the Moth Plant (Araujia Sericifera), as its focus. The plant is shown in the process of decay having been separating from its roots, however future renewal will be made possible after the pods have dried and burst – dispersing the seeds for future regeneration. The plant is shown to be at once fragile in its demise but strong in its self-sufficiency for remaking itsfuture. Haywood demonstrates that contemplation of the simple plant forms is a pleasure in itself in a world largely urbanized and removed from the natural environment. As such, her work conceptually and physically brings together both the natural world and the man made.
Gina Haywood received her Bachelor of Fine Art, Printmaking Major, from the National Art School in Sydney in 2000 where she is now based. Haywood has shown in several group shows and 2008 marked her first solo show at The Iain Dawson Gallery, Sydney. She has been a finalist in the Hutchins Art prize and City of Hobart Art Prize.
