CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — After months of anticipation, the new murals in historic Katy are nearly finished.
The City of Katy will host an unveiling event on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. to celebrate artist Tyler Kay’s latest murals, which wrap around all four sides of the base of the Harvest Plaza water tower.
Tourism and Marketing Events Coordinator Kaci Maris said the event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony. She added that Kay, City Council members, Keep Katy Beautiful board members, and other prominent figures from Katy and Texas will be in attendance.
Although the murals are not yet complete, Maris said she has received compliments from residents about the “pop of color” the art provides for the town square.
“We have seen people already coming out to take photos in front of them, which was exactly what many had in mind when the project first began,” Maris said.
Maris also noted that the murals served as a fitting backdrop for the Katy Champions on the Square event, which took place in August.
Artist Tyler Kay has deep roots in Katy—her family has lived and farmed here for generations. She grew up in Katy and graduated from Cinco Ranch High School in 2011. She said she enjoyed showcasing parts of Katy that are not as well known due to the area’s continued growth.
“Since Katy has developed, even in my lifetime, I’ve watched all the fields go away, and it was really special for me to be able to bring that back in,” Kay said.
Kay embraced the challenge of incorporating various details about the Katy area.
“I wanted a story to be told, so I didn’t mind including a lot of elements,” Kay said.
Several challenges delayed progress on the murals. Kay said that while painting each individual panel, she had to work early in the morning or late at night because high temperatures during the day made it difficult to work with the paint.
Near the end of August, Kay was forced to take a temporary break from her work due to a sprained ankle, which pushed the completion date of the murals back to late September.
Despite these setbacks, Kay, with the help of her assistant, Andrea Gilson, has brought the murals to near completion, with only minor details remaining. Kay said she is honored to work on the murals and celebrate the place where she grew up.
“We thank everyone for their support and patience as work continues on the murals,” Maris said. “We look forward to seeing all the photos taken in front of the murals for years to come.”