Katy Galbraith

As an artist Katy uses the medium of mosaic to express her creativity. Her sustainable practice is both inspired by and incorporates any number of recycled and salvaged materials, including china and glass.

Working from her studio near the village of Comrie in the Strathearn area of Perthshire, Katy’s mosaic artworks can be both decorative (pictorial or sculptural) or functional (mirrors, table tops splashbacks).

Whatever their use, they are all created through her passion to encompass her strong eco/zero waste ethics within her practice.

Aesthetic

Working with views over the river Earn and hills beyond, Katy is frequently inspired by her surrounding landscape, aspects of which are often reflected in her designs, including the much loved abundant flora which feature in many finished pieces.

Every new creation is an eclectic mix of colours and textures, often with a rustic vibe, and each with its own story to share. Personal favourites for Katy are the orange and yellow tones often found on retro pieces of 1970’s crockery.

It’s not only the joy of re-purposing recycled materials that inspires Katy, but the materials themselves which often stimulate many of her ideas.

Knowing the provenance of donated broken china; off-cuts from local ceramicists; end of project tiles and glass from empty bottles, Katy enjoys bringing them all together like a traditional patchwork, creating a new and meaningful artwork.

Practice

Whether working on a commission or creating her own work, Katy creates her mosaics spontaneously and instinctively. Whilst a design begins with a hand drawn outline as a guide, the process of infilling the mosaic pieces is often determined by the different colours and textures of the materials being used, and the way they work together on the day.

Katy prefers to hand-cut all the pieces, rather than use a machine, enabling a very organic process and resulting in a natural finish. As the design develops it is set using a high quality tile adhesive, grouted, cleaned and surface polished.

Working with mosaics is a constant evolving process for Katy, who relishes any opportunity to explore working with new materials and themes.