My mom, Karen Bagayawa, has always been a relentless collector first, a curious experimenter second, and a meticulous artist third. She grew up in the humble suburbs of Cambridge, Ontario, always with an easel in the corner of her bedroom. These curiosities carried her to the other end of the world, Northern Japan. It was there she began her journey as both a professional artist and a mother.
Her personal practice began in Morioka, Japan, where cherry blossoms fell like confetti and the seasons turned. I grew up in her studio, a room scented with acrylic paint and tile grout, running my fingers over cracked surfaces made of cheesecloth and linen, watching colour soak, split and settle into something resembling the earth. I would touch her wide collection of treasures during those long, simple afternoons. Beehives, salt-bleached driftwood, stones in all shapes, sizes and colours, seashells, pinecones, fire coloured leaves and moss-blanketed twigs.
Often, she studies colour with children’s blocks repainted in impossible blues. I have a memory of going to the salon for a haircut where she collected the remnants of my hair and used them for a sculptural nest among dried flowers. I used to call her a glorified hoarder. Now I understand she was studying the language of texture.
Philip Glass hums softly through the studio. Some days, there is classical music. Some days, there is only silence. In Karen’s world, a quiet coffee shop, a raging spin class, a Kit Kat or a Diet Coke can really turn around any day.
She has always trusted that answers live close to the ground. On a 6-day hiking trip with a backpack, it is in fact completely reasonable to pack a watercolour set, a book, a journal, and a sketchbook.
Whether we are out for a walk in the quiet forest or in the bustling streets of the city, there is never a rush to the endeavour. We must take our time and observe what the world has to offer us.
In her work, she asks herself how she feels and answers in swatches. Hours pass, weaving, layering washes of colour over and over again, breaking surfaces open. In her world, nothing is wasted. Not time. Not feeling. Just another stone waiting to be turned.
-Written by Hanna Shorthouse
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Which ’hood are you in?
My studio is located in Vancouver at Parker Street Studios, and I live in Coquitlam.
What do you do?
I am a mixed media painter. I crack tile grout on woven linen, I weave on a traditional Jack loom and saturate the pieces in acrylic paint – sometimes utilizing 80 – 100 washes of colour.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a series of pieces inspired by the wisdom of rocks and minerals, earth pigments and colours, ochres, umbers, oxides, bone black and white. Entitled “Unearthed: Stains of our Existence”, these pieces explore a tension between the duality of disorder and order and question: “How do we find a commonality amongst us that fosters connection and understanding?” “What is our relationship to our ecosystems on earth?”
Where can we find your work?
The Ukama Gallery on Granville Island, Vancouver and Art Junction Gallery and Framing Studio in Whistler. I will be participating in a group exhibition at the Oeno Gallery at Huff Estates Winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario, entitled “Breathe”, a curated group show “that invites you to pause, exhale, and experience a moment of stillness.” The exhibition is from March 28th to May 10th, 2026.
