Design of the Month · February 2008
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"Marionette"
I created this stained glass panel, representing two characters from Cirque du Soleil, using the Tiffany method. After researching the Cirque's fifteen year history, I made preliminary sketches of some of their best characters. Here I used the Cirque's logo as a background; that way, I didn't have to add additional break lines. (This is something of a trademark in my stained glass work.) Once the drawing was finished, I imported it into Glass Eye 2000 to add the final touches, color and texture.
This stained glass panel was created as part of a project to help kids living on the streets. It is important to have these kids involved in projects of this magnitude because it gives them a chance to be proud of themselves. It is with this in mind that I use themes from Cirque du Soleil. This is one of many projects I have initiated that help to reinsert people into society. In Trois-Rivières (a city in Québec) I have designed historical and cultural artworks and "my kids" do all the work. These projects teach them to pay attention to detail and to be thorough. Our success is that no one can tell the difference between these pieces and the ones I make entirely on my own. Their pieces have included one of Jean Béliveau, the renowned hockey player for the Montréal Canadians, and Rita Lafontaine, a famous Québécois actress. They are also revisiting the history of Québec City for its 400th anniversary in 2008, and in Montréal they are doing pieces based on drawings made by sick children from the Sainte-Justine Hospital. All these projects help bring hope and pride to these wonderful children.
~ Jean Beaulieu (translated from French by Marie-Hélène Bourbeau)
About the artist
Jean Beaulieu, artist and creator, painter for 27 years, has exhibited in a dozen cities worldwide. He started doing stained glass fifteen years ago and decided to use the glasswork in the service of a cause dear to him: troubled youth. He is the founder of the MargiArt project which for the last four years has provided stained glass instruction for these young people. This project inspired him to found Les Ateliers ART-GO, an organization that oversees community groups in Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Montréal and eventually Vancouver and Toronto. You may also send him an email.
Click Jean's image to see him in front of two historical panels at the Parc Portuaire de Trois-Rivières.
This pattern may be used to make one or more artworks for sale or personal enjoyment. This pattern may be printed for personal use only and may not be sold or given away in printed or electronic form.
Each month we feature a project designed using Glass Eye 2000. Do you have a project to share with the world? Contact Dragonfly Software and your creation might be our next Design of the Month.