A Month of Sunrays: interview with stained-glass artist Flora Jamieson

Hello again.

I keep a list, [in fact I keep lots of lists] but this particular list in question contains the names of people I'd love to feature as a guest blogger here in my corner of BlogWorld and today I can cross 'Flora Jamieson' off the list.

Because she's here!

If you don't already know Flora's work, let me show you this:

'Here Comes the Sun' by Flora Jamieson

... and then you can work out for yourself why I had to ask her to contribute at this particular moment in time, for A Month of Sunrays! So, now that she's here, allow me to introduce her properly: 

Flora is a UK artist, based in Dorset whose work I first came into contact with via her Etsy shop 'Through the Round Window'. I spotted the Here Comes the Sun decoration [above] and fell in love with her style then and there.

Alongside creating these beautiful, small scale, contemporary pieces that everyone can enjoy, Flora also takes on commissions for wonderful full-sized, bespoke, stained glass windows, which you can read more about on her website.

[You can find more links to Flora's online hang outs at the end of this post.]

'Spring Girl' by Flora Jamieson. Click image for further details.

I felt the best way to share Flora's work with you would be through her own words, so I asked her a few questions ...

Can you tell us about the role which light plays in your work?

Flora: Stained glass needs a good light source in order to be appreciated – without it the colour of the glass is muted and the lead lines look grey and meaningless.
If you walk past a church from the outside, you barely even notice the stained glass windows, but once you’re inside, with the light streaming through them, it’s quite a different story.

What’s it like to see the sun streaming in through your designs?

Flora: It’s a great feeling to lift a piece that I’ve been working on for some weeks – from design stage, through to cutting and painting the glass and finally leading and soldering – off from the workbench and up to the light – it comes to life!  

The colours are more vivid, and the contrast with the black lead outlines is greater, allowing the design to fully reveal itself.

Also, in bright sunlight, the colours of the glass are reflected on the walls, creating a beautiful kaleidoscopic effect. I made a window for my daughter’s bedroom, and the dancing pools of colour on her walls on a sunny morning are very lovely.

'Linear flowers' by Flora Jamieson

What influences your choice of colours for your contemporary pieces?

Flora: My designs are influenced by the simplicity of 1960/70s graphic design, so I’m drawn to bright, bold colours.


I use Polish mouthblown glass which comes in a vast array of colours with wonderful clarity and movement – little airbubbles and striations on the surface of the glass.

There’s a feeling of warmth and happiness to your designs, not just in colour, but in theme and style too. Is that something you deliberately set out to include, or does it just happen when you begin the design process?
Flora: It’s definitely a conscious thing - stained glass should enhance its surroundings, not only in the way it makes a room look, but in the way it makes the people within feel.


The UK is not blessed with a particularly sunny climate, so I try to design to counterbalance the gloomy conditions outside. Sunshine, birds, flowers, children – all themes to lift the spirits.

'Happy Valley' by Flora Jamieson

--------------------------------
If you'd like to connect further with Flora then you'll find her:

• At her shop 'Through the Round Window' on Etsy;
• OR her shop 'Through the Round Window' on Folksy;
• Here on her blog.
• Her website.
• Or Twitter.

I don't know about you, but when Flora says "I use Polish mouthblown glass which comes in a vast array of colours with wonderful clarity and movement" I [a] get slightly envious ;-) and [b] get the feeling that she finds great satisfaction in not only her job, but the materials she uses day to day.

And, quite evidently this comes out in her work.

***Thank you so much Flora for the insight into your creations [I now wish I hadn't narrowed down my list of questions for you, and asked you them all!] And your designs certainly do lift the spirits.***

If you get a minute please grab the chance to leave a comment here for Flora, or hop over and visit her in person.

[Quick note: It was recently pointed out to me that I had Word Verification for comments turned on - when I was under the impression it was off! After some searching for a resolution I have now - almost definitely - turned it off. So, if that's prevented you leaving a comment previously,  hopefully it's now resolved. But then again ... ].

With now only 7 days of February remaining I'm having to prioritise all of the remaining posts I had planned for this series! But whatever I decide ... I'll be back tomorrow with something yellow or sunny ... or both.

Julie x