Email:Kaybeedigital@gmail.com

Website:https://kaybeeglass.com

Region:Scotland

Technique:Painting, Leaded and stained

Occupation:Artist, Educator

Discipline:Decorative, Design, Fine art

Areas of Interest:Competitions, Education, Exhibition

Product:Fine Art, Commission, Wall pieces

Country:United Kingdom


www.kaybeeglass.com



https://www.instagram.com/kaybeeglass/
www.facebook.com/kaybeeglass

Karen McPhail

I create stained and fused glass portraits of people who have shaped our world through education, art, music and activism; suffragettes, civil rights campaigners, poets, writers, "witches" and women like Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh, who continue to influence art and design to this day. Based in South East Scotland, my work has developed from suncatchers and landscapes to work that challenges and raises awareness, often from a feminist perspective. I draw and design everything myself; this may or may not be related to my dislike of following rules and patterns! My preferred framing material is zinc but I sometimes use lead which gives a more rustic look. I am a stained glass tutor with Edinburgh Adult Education Department, running beginners' evening classes in Edinburgh. This allows me to share my passion for glass with an enthusiastic group of learners, and continues to teach me about using and handling glass. I love watching people hold up their finished pieces for the first time and sharing a little of that sense of pride. My goal is to create pieces that adorn spaces with beauty, provoke thought and inspire change.

In my fused glass work, I use frit to create ephemeral, almost three-dimensional portraits. The glass is heated just long and hot enough to begin fusing, while retaining texture, depth, and a sense of movement. In my stained glass pieces, I work with the copper foil technique, which allows for fine detail, delicate lines, and complex shapes. I was selected as an artist for Mortal and Strong, a health campaign raising awareness of life-changing and life-limiting conditions, for which I created two large, striking black-and-gold portraits inspired by two of their “100 Voices.” I love recreating suffragettes in glass, using their signature colours of white, purple, and green to honour their strength, resilience, and legacy.

Orca in Scotland (Juno) , KayBee Glass

Emmeline Pankhurst - Suffragette , Karen McPhail

Cuillins tryptic , KayBee Glass

Jaha Dukureh - FGM campaigner