Saint-Etienne artists open their doors

By : David Rollert.

Saint-Etienne-de-Bolton hosts its own tour of artist studios, the Village des métiers d’art, on July 31 and August 1 and 2, from 10 am to 5 pm.

“It’s incredible to see how in a little village like ours, there are 15 artists,” enthuses potter Guillaume Morin, of Atelier Inédit. “Yeah, it’s fantastic. It’s just crazy.”

Inspired by Nature

Morin creates durable but unglazed dinnerware inspired by his surroundings.

“I try to use what’s around me, to put it into my pieces. This becomes my signature, putting in ashes, putting in leaves, putting in all kinds of things.”

As a matter of choice, he focuses on objects people use.

“I want to make something beautiful, that also fits into people’s daily lives.”

A former human-resources professional, Morin now works full time as a potter in Saint-Etienne.

“I decided to open my studio to find the essence of where I live, inspired by the fact that in Estrie we are surrounded by nature.”

A Community of Artists

A non-profit, community event, the Village des métiers d’art enables artists and visitors to get to know each other and to exchange ideas.

“It’s about meeting people and sharing the evolution of all this,” says Morin. “But beyond that, it’s the meetings that we have as artists, to share each of our realities, to evolve a bit our practices.”

Visit the Circuit

All 15 artists live and work in Saint-Etienne, so the entire circuit is easy to do within the three days of the event.

Artist portfolios, details and map are at www.villagedesmetiersdartsedb.com.