Sunlight streams in through large windows that look out on a sweeping Pacific Ocean vista. Artworks stand waiting in various stages of creation, while mobiles twist and dance in the sea breeze. This space, known as Atelier Hayakawa, is where Canadian multimedia artist Kirsten Woest comes to dream, to teach and to create.

Located just a few kilometers from her home in the historic castle town of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Woest shares the studio with two other artists.

"I'd been outgrowing my space at home and was looking for something when a mutual friend introduced me to the two women, one of whom specializes in illustration and the other in glass and ceramics," Woest says. "It is the perfect location and atmosphere, directly facing the ocean. I use the studio mainly for hand-dyeing and as a space to paint or make collages."