FLORA JAMIESON’S STAINED GLASS
The artist talks to us about her love of the traditional cra and describes the creative process involved
How did you get into stained glass? I took art at school, up to A-level, and always regre!ed not taking it further. A"er university, although I was employed in creative environments (#rstly a design studio, followed by a photographic studio), the jobs weren’t creative, and I really missed working with my hands. I was looking for an evening class, to learn a cra" or skill, and suddenly remembered visiting Salisbury Cathedral and its stained glass workshop on a school art trip. At the time I had found it fascinating so that was it – I decided to go for it. What is it that appeals to you about working with stained glass? I think stained glass falls in the middle of the Venn diagram of ‘things I am quite good at’ and ‘things I am interested in’. On one hand, the process is quite mathematical – there’s a lot of problem solving and it requires patience and a methodical approach. And on the other hand, it involves colour and pa!ern. There is an architectural and interior design element to it, too. Above all, though, I love how it’s a hands-on, traditional cra". Could you explain the scale and variety of your work? I design and make pieces of all sizes, ranging from small stained glass birds that hang from windows, to large-scale commissions for public buildings and private homes. I also design period windows and door panels (such as Victorian or art nouveau). What are your own designs inspired by? I’m in$uenced by the natural world – $ora, fauna and the landscape, kids’ book illustrations, 1960s and 1970s graphic design and wallpaper and fabric pa!erns. My work has been described as ‘illustrative’ and ‘whimsical’. Describe your design process When I’m working to commission, I like things to be as collaborative as possible. Clients o"en give me a list of things that they’d like me to include in the design, and one of the parts of the process that I enjoy the most is weaving these ideas into a design. I usually set up a mood board on Pinterest and pool images until I feel something taking shape. The next stage is to create some sketches, which I present to the client. There are o"en a few tweaks until we arrive at the #nal concept. A"er that, I draw up the cartoon, which is the full-size design and, once that is approved, glass-cu!ing can begin.