Charlie Larouche-Potvin
Glassblower
Montreal, Canada
Recommended by Maison Des Métiers d'Art de Québec
Fantastical possibilities explored
- Charlie carries traditional techniques into the future with his artistic glass creations
- He makes every piece entirely at the furnace: no torch or glue are used
- His functional and decorative objects blend Venetian heritage with a sense of fantasy
At the age of 17, Charlie Larouche-Potvin registered for a three-year Cégep programme at Espace Verre having never blown glass. “It was a crazy bet but I have never regretted it,” he says. Since graduating in 2020, he has been a resident at Atelier Fusion in Montreal, an associate in residence at Jam Factory in Adelaide and a resident at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Two summer workshops and a subsequent apprenticeship with Davide Fuin in Murano were pivotal to his understanding of the craft. While Charlie adheres to authentic Muranese techniques, he does not feel bound by tradition. His creativity and contemporary innovation are expressed when playing with colour, texture and proportion. “Glass has been made in the same way for hundreds of years, but the material offers infinite possibilities for exploration,” he explains.
Discover his work
INTERVIEW
I like to reference and reinterpret glass' rich history. Dragons, fish, birds and seahorses are all traditional adornments, and I often create stories around fantastical creatures inspired by medieval fantasies or popular culture to drive the narrative of my work.
I always start with drawings and refer to them at the furnace. As Davide Fuin says, the measurement is in your eyes and the calibre is just to check if you got it right. Because we work on a horizontal axis, drawings help me judge proportion.
The technical side is challenging. It is physical and hot, and I just have to accept that. But the hardest thing is finding inner peace when things do not work out. I choose to hold myself to a high standard and learn from my mistakes, yet try to be kind to myself.
What is difficult about it is also what I love about it: the challenge, the teamwork, making mistakes and starting over. It is addictive because the experience never ends. There are so many ways to improve and new things to try. Never being entirely satisfied is part of the game.
Charlie Larouche-Potvin
Glassblower
Montreal, Canada
Recommended by Maison Des Métiers d'Art de Québec
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+1 5143773349
LANGUAGES
French, English
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