K A R E N
B A G A Y A W A

M I X E D M E D I A P A I N T I N G

"A reflection of a craving for purity, simplicity
and peace"

Image above:
Commission for a Shanghai Home

"The whole world as we experience it visually comes to us through
the mystic relam of color."

- Hans Hofmann -

A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T

"Painting has always served as an expressive medium for me, allowing me to convey strong emotions at any moment in time, onto surface. Within painting, I am interested in colour, tactile surfaces and patterns inspired by nature and how paint behaves on a given surface. I have always been fascinated by tactile surfaces. I experimented with cheesecloth, woven linen and tile grout to create tactile surfaces and soon discovered the 'cracked' surface. Cracking tile grout on woven fabric, I build a sensual surface texture. If the viewer cannot physically touch the work, they can imaginatively feel the surface. I have a sensitivity to colour, layering colour washes over and over again.

I have been working with my process for the past twenty years and the whole process of weaving and painting is a very emotional and spiritual experience for me. In manipulating the surface, I hope to engage the viewer and transfer an energy from the making itself into a tangible new form of excitement and heightened expressive sensation."

Karen Bagayawa