A SELKIRK artist has designed a trio of intricate mosaics which will be installed on a Glasgow church this summer.

Joy Parker was commissioned to create the mosaics for St Catherine Labouré Church, after she impressed the priest who attended one of her exhibitions last year.

The pieces - which are 85cm high and 56cm wide - have been a laborious six months in the making.

The project has been full on from start to finish, from extensive research into the subject matter and ensuring the materials would survive the bad Scottish weather, to painting full scale replicas of the mosaics, right up to delicately placing the last tile.

Joy said: "They take a lot of work because I was using miniscule tiles and they can be so fiddly. You have to be very delicate but also have to work quite quickly before the cement dries. 

"My hands and back would often begin to ache after a tiring four-hour stint bent over the mosaics.

"The planning stages probably took the longest however because I wanted to make sure I had exactly what Father Gallagher wanted.

"I also had to check the durability of the works. There aren't a lot of outside mosaics in Scotland for a reason: our unfortunate tendency for bad weather. So figuring out how to ensure they will be preserved in bad weather was quite a task.

"It took me about a month to complete each of the three pieces. They're a bit like a jigsaw - once you get going you just want to keep at it and finish it."

The mosaics depict Catherine Labouré leading a group of saints, the lamb of God which is a symbol for Jesus, and the Virgin Mary - and even feature gold tiles shipped specially from Venice.

"Father Anthony Gallagher has been a fantastic person to work with," said Joy.

"Although he knew what he wanted, he was very sensitive to art and to artistic choices and always said, 'you're the artist Joy, I'll trust you,' so it has been a great partnership."

The 50-year-old artist has worked from the WASPS studio in Selkirk, set up by the charity Workshop and Artists' Studio Provision, Scotland (WASPS), for the last 12 years.

She said: "This project is definitely the biggest I've undertaken. I knew it would be challenging but was I was always very determined. I've always been inspired by the Byzantine mosaics in Rome and always been interested medieval manuscripts, so to do something like this was really fascinating.

"I hope once they are installed in Glasgow this July I'll be able to do similar works in the future.

"I am very much looking forward to seeing them on show in their permanent new home."

For a chance to see the mosaics in the flesh, visit Joy's WASPS studio in Selkirk on Friday, May 27, 11am-12noon. Entry is free.