Francia Hunt Surrey, United Kingdom

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I am a Colombian-British mosaic artist, originally trained as an interior designer. My practice grew from a fascination with materials, colour and craftsmanship. I work with marble, stone, glass and ceramics, bringing together my training in pietra dura, Byzantine and contemporary mosaic with an experimental approach to materials and making.

I originally trained as an interior designer in Bogotá, and my interest in mosaic grew from my fascination with materials, colour, pattern and the way decorative surfaces can transform a space. What began as an extension of my design background gradually became my main creative practice. My journey with mosaic has taken me through different traditions and places. I trained in pietra dura in Florence, studied Byzantine mosaic techniques in Ravenna and later developed my contemporary mosaic practice in London. This combination of design and traditional craftsmanship continues to influence the way I work today. I work mainly with marble, natural stone, glass and ceramics. I love the physical process of selecting, cutting and placing materials, and I am particularly interested in what happens when materials with very different qualities are brought together. Although traditional techniques provide the foundation of my work, I enjoy experimenting rather than feeling restricted by them. My Colombian background is becoming increasingly important in my practice. I am beginning to explore Colombian ceramics, handmade objects and reclaimed fragments and how they might sit alongside the marble, stone and glass that have been part of my work for many years. I am drawn to materials that show evidence of how they were made, irregular surfaces, variations in colour, broken edges and the marks of the maker. My work ranges from individual pieces to architectural and public commissions. My background in interior design means I naturally think about how a mosaic relates to its surroundings, whether it is a small artwork or something integrated into an architectural space. I am now at a point where I want to give myself more room to research and experiment, collecting materials, making samples, testing combinations and allowing ideas to develop through the making process. I see this exploration as a way of bringing together my Colombian roots, my design background and the different mosaic traditions I have learned to create a contemporary language that feels increasingly my own.