Pebble Mosaic: The Next Step with Kathleen Doody

For over twelve years Kathleen Doody has been creating pebble mosaics in her studio on Toronto Island. She is always on the search for pebbles, and draws inspiration from those she finds on Lake Ontario beaches, from other parts of Canada, and beyond. She believes in the motto: You can NEVER have enough pebbles!

Kathleen fell in love with the medium over years of studio visits with eminent pebble mosaic artist, and friend, Maggy Howarth, at her home in England. In 2009, she was very fortunate to complete both Maggy’s beginner and advanced workshops, creating her first pieces. In 2010 Kathleen directed and edited the two-hour instructional video The Precast Technique, produced by Maggy Howarth and filmed on location in the Cobblestone Designs’ studio.

She brought skills learned in England back to her home community on Toronto Island. Over a period of three years, and in association with two other project co-ordinators, as well as community members from Toronto Island, she worked to transform an unsightly and garbage-strewn area on Ward's Island, Toronto into a public square, featuring a 12' diameter pebble mosaic.

For two months in 2018 Kathleen was an artist-in-residence in the International Residency Program at the Olive Stack Gallery in Listowel, Ireland. Using exclusively pebbles collected on coastal beaches, she worked with locals to create two 2’ x 6’ mosaics, now installed in the local public park. She returned to Listowel for another residency in 2022, again working with local beach pebbles, making four new works for private gardens.

During the pandemic, Kathleen designed and built a 3.5’ x 6’ mosaic, incorporating pebbles from across Canada, as well as seven 6” diameter solid brass rings shipped from Pennsylvania. In November 2021, she delivered this Threshold mosaic to the Ruins Project in Whitsett, where it is now installed.

Two new instructional videos that Kathleen created with Mosaic Arts Online were released on September 2 this year. She has commissions installed in private gardens and public places. Please visit her on Instagram @kathleenonwards as well as at her website kathleendoodydesign.com