"For me, painting is a form of meditation"
Dr Mo (Morwenna) Haywood is an Oxford-trained doctor and emergency physician. When not manning Emergency Department’s across the width and breadth of Australia, she can usually be found unwinding by the sea with a fishing rod or paintbrush in hand.
From her roots on the picturesque Cornish coastline, to her adopted home, first on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and now the Byron Shire in the Northern Rivers area; light, vibrancy, and the ocean have always been common threads in both her life and her art.
In contrast and perhaps in rebellion to the 20 years she has spent in formal medical training, her artistic ability is purely self-taught. She did, however, spend her childhood absorbing snippets of artistic wisdom from her father.
“I have been a qualified doctor for 15 years, but an artist all my life. The two vocations complement each other perfectly - helping keep me and my life in balance. For me, painting is a form of meditation - helping my mind dissociate from the stressors that come with working in a busy Emergency Department. Conversely however, it is the same work that inspires in me a wonder for the detail, complexity and delicacy of the human body as well as the world around me, something I try to express and translate into my art.”
Mo instinctively has a precise photorealistic style that defines her paintings – though she also works hard to relax her natural exactitude to give her imagination space to play within her work. The majority of her artworks are made of complex layers of mixed media, usually created on natural wood or watercolour paper. Mo also experiments with creative carving, and has turned everything from surfboards and skulls to Barbie Dolls into intricately detailed pieces of art and light installations.
Morwenna is also the proud illustrator of a children’s book “Lord Claude”, written by her close friend and zoo veterinarian, Dr Lydia Tong. Lord Claude is inspired by the bravery and adaptive ability of Lydia’s blind cat Claude- and Mo brought his real and imagined adventures to vibrant life with her drawings. The book is the first in what they hope will become part of a series of books designed to familiarize and destigmatise medical problems and differences in ability that affect both animals and humans.
Given her own positive experiences and professional background, Mo is starting to explore the deeper relationship between art and healing - for both the artist and the observer. Creating and observing art is known to be a restorative and relaxing endeavour. In some people, the artistic process may also unlock deeper emotions and provide an opportunity to help heal a troubled psyche.
“I am so lucky to wake up every morning, those first few seconds not knowing which of my passions I will get to pursue that day. I have learnt after many years laser-focused on just my working life – that living a balanced life combining my true loves; art, medicine, and the ocean, is the answer to my happiness. If I can share this joy with others whether through my art, or through helping connect people or patients with the benefits of art and the artistic process – then that will leave me a very happy woman indeed.”
