Haze Haywood is a visual artist based in New Orleans, LA, whose portrait-driven practice explores the intersections of race, identity, and emotional nuance in contemporary American life. Through layered, acrylic-based works that blend classical painting techniques with bold modern aesthetics, Haywood critiques the sociopolitical structures of the urban South while elevating the intimate experiences of his subjects. His focus on facial expressions and hands as non-verbal emotional storytellers gives his figures a deeply human presence and relatability.

Haywood’s work is deeply influenced by both the cultural landscape of the American South and his background in education. A graduate of Talladega College with a B.A. in Mass Communications, he later began pursuing his M.F.A. in Painting through SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). These academic foundations shaped his commitment to technical rigor while nurturing his conceptual voice.

Before fully dedicating himself to his studio practice, Haywood served as an art educator in New Orleans’ public schools for nearly a decade, where he guided young creatives in visual literacy, critical thinking, and self-expression. This experience reinforced his belief in the power of art as a transformative, healing, and liberatory force. It also sharpened his sense of responsibility as an artist, which was to create work that both reflects and challenges the world we live in.

Haywood draws inspiration from a broad spectrum of sources, including biblical parables, literary motifs, sociopolitical narratives, and the everyday resilience of Black life in the South. His influences span from the classical techniques of Old Masters to the emotional urgency of Expressionism and the social commentary of artists like Courtney “Ceaux Young” Buckley, Kerry James Marshall, Barkley Hendricks, Kehinde WIley, Charles White, and Alice Neel. The rhythm, visual texture, and contradictions of New Orleans, its beauty, its trauma, and its joy are ever-present in his visual language.

Rooted in empathy, symbolism, and layered storytelling, Haywood’s work invites viewers into moments of recognition, reflection, and shared humanity.