The stained glass artisan: mixing creation and techniques

Serge Rodrigue is born in Scotstown (Quebec, Canada). He was only five years old when a tragedy occurred. An explosion followed by a fire in a garage left him severely burned. His father did not survive the accident. His life henceforth continue on an alternative route. His childhood is sweet: the family is reconstituted and in elementary school, they take good care of him. Young man, he obtained a college degree in computer engineering and worked at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke for over 20 years.

He started in stained glass crafts with two sessions of a course offered by the recreational service of the city. He continued on his own, building progressively his workshop in his home. The appeal of the glass is there: matter of a great beauty, bright, colorful, but with an unforgivable character to work with. Under the effect of time, development and discovery, the hobby became a profession.

The craftman masters the know-how. He developed a strong understanding of the behavior of glass and he featured all the products offered by each manufacturer. He tested all lead free solders available on the market.

His design seeks a balance between the use of transparent glass and opalescent glass, where the color and pattern are impregnated in the glass. The stained glass windows then created have contrast and depth. Unlike windows that adorn churches, stained glass windows for residences and commercial or institutional buildings require a compromise to keep the utility of windows that are lighting, watching, ventilation and evacuation in case of emergency.

Stained glass from Atelier Rodrigue are manufactured using the method attributed to Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1880. By this method, each piece of glass is wrapped up with a copper tape then assembled by soldering. Stained glass produced has a very large number of small pieces and a fine solder line, which is well suited for places where the windows are located near the eyes.

His figurative compositions are often a scene inspired by nature. Its geometric patterns are a constant search for balanced forms. The combination of the two has the more challenging but gives the most rewarding results.