Karen McPhail

My work has developed from stained glass suncatchers and landscapes to work that challenges and raises awareness, often from a feminist perspective. I create stained and fused glass portraits of people who have shaped our world. They might be educators, artists, musicians, activists, suffragettes, civil rights campaigners, poets, writers, historical figures or accused witches. They have one thing in common; they made a mark. I have tackled subjects such as female genital mutilation in the Gambia (Jaha Dukureh), child marriage (Theresa Kachindamoto), women's oppression in Iran (Mahsa Amini) and the suffragette movement (Mary Molony). I was chosen as an artist for Mortal and Strong, a health campaign based on 100 women's voices about living with incurable health conditions. As part of this I created two large stained glass portraits of two of the voices for their exhibition in London in May 2025.
I am a tutor with Edinburgh Council's Adult Education Team, teaching beginners stained glass evening classes.