40 years of creativity

40 years of creation

In 1985, a beautiful ancestral home in Saint-Irénée, set in fields with an enviable view of the St.Lawrence River, became a pottery and painting studio where a couple, Joan and Marc Deblois, newly arrived from Ontario, established themselves in a new life outside of the cacophony of the city and their respective careers. This act, of believing in a life where creation and encounters with others could be an everyday occurrence, is the full embodiment of the soul that endures at the Ateliers Charlevoix, even today, although the sign read Ateliers Deblois, in days gone by.. Years pass, with Joan behind her potter’s wheel and Marc behind his easel, in the garden. While the garden’s vibrant red poppies become part of the studio’s signature, when it comes to pottery, it’s the rounded shapes suggesting fruit that Joan outlines in the glazes of many pieces that are a clear sign of the touch she brings to her art. Functional pieces and coloured glazes are collected and appreciated, so much so that help is quickly needed, first to remove pieces from the kiln and later, at the potter’s wheel.

It’s Stéphane, a young gardener and village teenager, who gives a helping hand in this regard, and who subsequently trains with Joan. A true mentor, she teaches him the potter’s wheel basics, how to make functional pottery and raku, a technique of creating effects in the pottery using thermal shocks. Time marches on, Stéphane heads for the city, becomes a graphic artist… Joan and Marc grow older. They want to move closer to the city, but they don’t want to kill the business they’ve nurtured with such love. And here’s where the beautiful story of succession begins: Stéphane (Bouchard) returns to the Ateliers studios to continue its mission. He, along with his two daughters, moves into the big house. He works to preserve the Ateliers essence, while adding his own touches, and creating new products.

And, with the arrival of his sweetheart Nancy (Giguère), the synergy between two artistic mediums returns to the studio. Stéphane’s new companion brings expertise as a designer and textile artist with her, offering the Signature N line, selling complementary products: aprons and table cloths as well as fashion and decorative accessories. Naturally, the creativity of one person stimulates the creativity of another, prompting the birth of new works, like jewels made of raku! These join a happy fusion that populates the tables and shelves of the boutique space, where the increasingly abstract works of Marc Deblois still have a place, a connection between the studios of yesterday, and the studios of today. And let’s not forget the future! In spring 2025, Nancy and Stéphane went to Japan to train in the practice of kintsugi, the art of repairing and highlighting broken ceramics, and in shibori, the creation of patterns on textiles using natural dyes. From this experience new inspirations will flow, colouring the creations made by the Ateliers Charlevoix studios!

(RE)discover Les Ateliers...