Katrina Alexy - Artist

Handmade discs and vintage salvaged Franciscan tiles for two upcoming projects for which I am currently in the planning/design phase. These projects are generously funded by the Picerne Foundation and The Ahmanson Foundation for sites in Elysian Valley and Koreatown. The tiles were salvaged from acres of warehouses in Atwater Village and were slated to be dumped in a landfill when the business was sold to a large corporation, but instead they will be used in a mosaic celebrating community with a nod to the Franciscan pottery company that created these tiles in nearby Atwater Village along the LA River and was an integral part of the area's history. These tiles will be commingled with handmade earthenware tiles I create in late 2023 and early 2024. Stay tuned! 

Handmade discs and vintage salvaged Franciscan tiles for two upcoming projects for which I am currently in the planning/design phase. These projects are generously funded by the Picerne Foundation and The Ahmanson Foundation for sites in Elysian Valley and Koreatown. The tiles were salvaged from acres of warehouses in Atwater Village and were slated to be dumped in a landfill when the business was sold to a large corporation, but instead they will be used in a mosaic celebrating community with a nod to the Franciscan pottery company that created these tiles in nearby Atwater Village along the LA River and was an integral part of the area's history. These tiles will be commingled with handmade earthenware tiles I create in late 2023 and early 2024. Stay tuned! 

Handmade discs and vintage salvaged Franciscan tiles for two upcoming projects for which I am currently in the planning/design phase. These projects are generously funded by the Picerne Foundation and The Ahmanson Foundation for sites in Elysian Valley and Koreatown. The tiles were salvaged from acres of warehouses in Atwater Village and were slated to be dumped in a landfill when the business was sold to a large corporation, but instead they will be used in a mosaic celebrating community with a nod to the Franciscan pottery company that created these tiles in nearby Atwater Village along the LA River and was an integral part of the area's history. These tiles will be commingled with handmade earthenware tiles I create in late 2023 and early 2024. Stay tuned! 

Commissioned by the City of Santa Clarita to design a maintenance cover (manhole) for the newly built Canyon Country Community Center. This steel cover celebrates the geological and historical importance of the Santa Clara river that runs through the Santa Clarita Valley, the native land of the Tataviam Tribe. Measures  4'x4' and was installed in 2022. 

This 8.5 feet tall, 3 feet wide totem was made using tiles that were slated for a landfill and a custom terra-cotta face tile on a HardeeBoard base. This was funded by a grant from the Ahmanson Foundation for a school located in Koreatown, Los Angeles CA Completed in 2020

Bulletin board grove using recycled materials including vintage tiles saved from a landfill, guitar wood remnants, fishing rope spool ends, and renewable cork. This installation was installed the end of January 2021 on a campus in Koreatown, funded by the Ahmanson Foundation. It measures 8 feet X 7 feet. 

This is a series of totem poles created from Califia almond milk bottles and discarded styrofoam. These were created for an installation at Tierra de la Culebra Park in Highland Park, Los Angeles in June and July of 2021. These totems were designed to bring awareness for the need to plant native Milkweed in order to attract Monarch Butterflies whose numbers are dwindling and dangerously low due to a lack of native milkweed available. Native Milkweed seeds and plants were handed out as part of this exhibit at no charge. Check out the Instagram page I created for this ongoing project @eyesonthemonarchs

For more information on this installation, go to @eyesonthemonarchs via Instagram. 

This giant nest made entirely from wood left over from a construction site, was commissioned by The Arroyo Arts Collective for The Audubon Center in Debs Park, Los Angeles. It was suspended between several trees without harming the environment/trees in any way. It measured 5 feet by 3 feet. Completed in 2012

Commissioned by the South Pasadena Arts Council in January 2018, this public utility box located on Fremont Avenue in the city of South Pasadena celebrates the new and the old, the man made and natural living side by side along the Arroyo Seco. Acrylic paint/spray paint on metal. Measurements are: 5'X2' and 3.5' X 1.5'

Commissioned by the South Pasadena Arts Council in January 2018, this public utility box located on Fremont Avenue in the city of South Pasadena celebrates the new and the old, the man made and natural living side by side along the Arroyo Seco.

Completed in 2015 and commissioned by Los Angeles Council District 13, this 40 foot long mosaic celebrates the healthy foods that farmers markets provide to the city of Los Angeles as well as honoring long time Echo Park activist, Isa Meksin. The mosaic is situated on Logan Street in Echo Park and is made of handmade tiles and tiles slated for a landfill. It is a colorful and eco-conscious public art piece. 

Congressman Adam Schiff, Councilman Mitch O'Farrel, and many community members as well as a mariachi band were all on hand to unveil Healthy Foods and celebrate community in Echo Park, Los Angeles.

The orange slices and lettuce were handmade by myself and various community members.

Constructed from river rock and cast resin with a bronze coating, this "totem" to the native rabbits of Southern California was commissioned by New Town of Pasadena for a temporary exhibit in the lower Arroyo Seco in 2012. Measures 4'X 2'

For an overview of the entire show, go to this website:

vimeo.com/82168606

Commissioned in 2009 by Friends of Atwater Village, 8 decorative trash receptacle mosaics incorporating historic photo tiles as the central focus. Each receptacle measure 3' X 2'. These are located on Glendale Blvd. in Atwater Village, Los Angeles. For a more complete description, go to:

www.friendsofatwatervillage.org/projects/current/historywalk.html

Photo tiles were created as the central focus for each receptacle.

Commissioned in 2012 to create 4 mosaic planters for an "outdoor classroom" at Westwood Charter School. The theme of the mosaic was a celebration of California's rich natural offerings. The majority of these planters were made using reclaimed tiles and handmade tiles. Each planter is 10' X 5' X 1' 8"

Commissioned by the Targeted Neighborhood Initiative in 2000, this enamel paneled bus stop sits at the corner of Sunset and Echo Park Avenue Avenue. Measurements are 8' X 2.5'

Commissioned by The Fowler Museum, this Tree of Life wall assemblage was created with and for the community of Echo Park for the new Edendale Library on Sunset and Alvarado.

I was one of 8 mosaic artists who worked on the massive Rose sculpture in honor of Lillian Disney located in the Disney Hall Gardens. We worked for three months creating the all Delft porcelain mosaic rose designed by Frank Gehry.
For more information on the Rose sculpture, go to this link:

www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/walt-disney-concert-hall-los-angeles-cultural-icon

Each of the 8 mosaic artists working on the Disney Hall Rose Mosaic created our own individual tiles to place in the sculpture. This is one with my name on it. I also have my parents names and names of pets placed in the sculpture.

Commissioned by Northeast Trees, this block long walkway is located off the Firestone Corridor, adjacent to Graham Elementary School.

A closer look at the walkway. The city would not allow me to alter the walkway in any way, but Northeast Trees and The S.M. Mountains Conservancy wanted to add color and design to highlight the nearby waterway. I used concrete dyes that are fade resistant.

This is a section of a large mural I was commissioned for by The LA River Revitalization Corp for a community mural making event. I created a custom paint by number mural of the LA River on 12'X4' canvas and the community was invited to paint it in. It was later displayed along the LA River.

Volunteers in the community helped bring the image I was commissioned to create to life!

This is an installation piece at Alexandria House in Los Angeles.  Alexandria House is a home for women and children in transition. I was asked to create an installation for the nursery to celebrate and foster a love of reading. The piece is made from old library books that were headed for a recycling bin. Parents and children helped fold the pages of the books. For more information on Alexandria House, go to www.alexandriahouse.org/about

I was asked to create a fun, inviting, interactive orange tree for the Pasadena Museum of History for their exhibit on California Orange growers. This piece was 9 feet X 9 feet high and visitors were encouraged to write their sense memories of oranges on round, orange sticky notes, adding them to the tree.