Katie Brown studied Glass Design at UCOL, Whanganui (1999), which is where she met American glass artist Josh Simpson, who invited her to become part of his team. Following this, she moved to the UK and gained experience with Neil Wilkin. In the twenty years since this formative time, she has established a successful career in Whanganui with an international following.

Katie’s glass works are highly collectable, not only because she is one of few New Zealand women who have pursued the challenging career of glass blowing, but also because she creates unique masterpieces that are rarely seen elsewhere. Katie’s sculptural pieces are elegant echoes of the natural world, as she shapes glass into organically inspired forms. Serene, yet intriguing, and always perfectly finished, her pieces are incredibly contemporary.

Katie’s pieces are instantly recognisable and commonly referred to as visionary, as they combine colour, line, shape and material techniques with elegance and skill. Her delicately blown forms require years to master, as a blend of hot and cold techniques are used to create her signature vessels, platters, vases and lights. She is internationally known as one of New Zealand’s foremost female glass-blowers.