Glass artist fondly remembered
Renowned Northland glass artist Kathy Shaw Urlich lost her battle with cancer on October 24 in Kaitaia.
Urlich was born in England in 1954 and moved to New Zealand in 2007 upon marrying Reverend Rapata (Robert) Urlich.
The pair established their home and a studio for stained glass artwork at Whatuwhiwhi.
Her stained glass artwork has featured across the globe.
In 1990 she exhibited glass panels at New Zealand House for the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi and held another solo exhibition, Te Po me Te Ao (The Dark and the Light) at the Commonwealth Institute in London.
She was also commissioned to design the inaugural window for the Human Genome Project.
Her tribute to Rahera Heta Windsor, kuia of Ngati Ranana in London was one of 100 pieces, out of 2,500 entries, to be selected by the Corning Glass Museum in New York to feature in
the world’s leading journal of innovation in glass art.
At the Swansea Institute in Wales, Urlich topped her class before going on to complete a Masters in Fine Art at Central St Martins in London.
Urlich affiliated to Ngati Hau and Te Uri o Te Aho o Ngapuhi. She was the daughter of Ron Shaw, a mathematician and Ministry of Defence worker and her mother Desiree Joan Browne, was a former Miss Northland winner.
She made her first visit to New Zealand, aged 26, to visit her Maori grandmother.
Urlich designed a Passchendaele memorial window for the All Saints Church in Kaeo, but sadly did not live long enough to complete the commission.
Her last exhibition was at Kaan Zamaan in Kerikeri in April. It was entitled ‘‘Easter Rising/ A journey through cancer’’.
The series of stained glass panels were created during a ‘respite’ period during her treatment for metastic breast cancer.
Kaan Zamaan’s Julia Reinholt says Urlich was an inspiration.
‘‘Spiritual, passionate, selfless and humble. We will miss her intellect, her vision and her moving glassworks. I know I will always treasure my little panels.
‘‘She was brave right until the end.’’