The art of stained glass
Based in Provence for nearly 10 years, Fréderic from Studio Chefraled is a stained glass craftsman, he creates and restores stained glass windows in Monteux and the Traversée des Arts!
A few days ago, we met Frédéric to discover the unique know-how of a stained glass craftsman. First, we discovered the exhibition space and the Studio Chefraled shop where his custom-made works are exhibited. The latter can be intended for churches but not only since there are also original creations or orders for luxury establishments such as the palace “la Bastide de Gordes” or even individuals looking for a beautiful work to decorate their home.
Then, we went to his studio, a creative space in which Fréderic gives way to his creative spirit and works with stained glass in all its forms, influenced by his travels abroad: Barcelona and Prague where he lived and worked as well as Berkeley, Lima and La Paz where he lived and worked as well as Berkeley, Lima and La Paz where he was able to share his passion with craft students.
We therefore discovered the many facets of the stained glass craft profession, starting with glass and the multiple techniques: lead, copper, grisaille painting and fusing.
“It all starts with a draft on paper,” he tells us. Frédéric also presented us with the various tools needed to create stained glass, such as the glass cutter and its ancestor the diamond, which appeared as early as the Renaissance. Then there are the nibbling pliers to detach the pieces of glass and a Carborandum stone that he finally uses to neutralize the sharp edges of freshly cut glass. Depending on his inspirations and needs, this stained glass craftsman uses cardstock templates for cutting glasses but he can also do it freehand.
As Frédéric explained to us, stained glass art uses the same codes as mosaics or puzzles! It is a question of fitting all the pieces together perfectly to constitute a work that requires total respect of the dimensions to the millimeter! To link all these pieces, he uses lead profiles, which he shapes by adapting them to the shape of the glasses already cut to form a beautiful stained glass window.
The alternative or complementary technique to lead is that of Tiffany, which consists in surrounding the pieces with a copper tape to then assemble them and then solder them together with tin. This technique was popularized by Louis Confort Tiffany (the son of the famous New York jeweler) and immortalized by his legendary Art Nouveau lamps. The artisan of stained glass from Montilien likes to explore its technical limits in order to demonstrate that this art is not limited to panels with classical geometric shapes but can take on unexpected shapes, as shown by his pre-Columbian and modern dragon sculpture that sits enthroned in his studio.
Throughout the year, Studio Chefraled in Vitraux offers initiation and creation workshops à la carte for children and adults by reservation. In addition, Frédéric invites you to discover the stained glass windows of Mercy (which he created and produced in 2018 for the Chapel of Black Penitents in Monteux) during free visits on request in order to explain their atypical genesis.
A total immersion in his studio to leave with his personalized work and discover the living art of stained glass!
