Jul 105 min read

On the way to Quebec...

Updated: Jul 11

Life is full of surprises and crossroads , and I often think back to my Quebec experience.

Thanks to my professional retraining project , I crossed the Atlantic in 2017 to live for a few months in Montreal.

Immediately upon arriving in this frozen Winter, I found a pottery studio that offered courses. Oh there.. not easy, I arrived mid-March with the storm of the century (oh well, what are the others like then?) In short, it was tough , and the classes at Catherine's were already full for the start session of April. . No, not even a joke! So of course I insisted... insisted... begged... not cried anyway, no! But Catherine felt my irresistible desire to learn alongside her and she made room for me. This is how my pottery adventure started , 2 classes per week with one of the best teachers. Always learn from the best, valuable advice that I always apply.

To be honest, I hadn't really touched clay until this very moment. I quickly felt that it was a key moment, I was moving towards a fascinating universe . We always recognize these starting points that propel you. I felt a recognition in my hands, a something that came to me from so far away. In my twenties I went very regularly to my in-laws in the Morvan countryside, near Saint Amand en Puisaye . And the magic of these potters fascinated me. I couldn't stop going to see the potters , watch them work , buy from them these beautiful pieces in Saint Amand blue... I didn't know it yet but there was planted the seed that would germinate in me.

Let's return to Quebec , to the Gaïa Céramiques workshop on the Plateau du Mont Royal . Oh there… my first morning … Obviously it’s not easy to start! Nothing is easy the first time, even the most wonderful things must be tamed.

Catherine knew how to teach us, there were ten of us who often listened to the cult Ghost soundtrack which gave wings to our hands ...

We were all Demi Moore on our wheel. Strong memory of this apprenticeship which determined my future as a ceramist . Catherine when you read these lines, you will remember.. I'm so grateful.

I was fascinated by the dexterity of her hands on clay, starting from -almost- nothing which is nevertheless the essential: the ball of earth. And hop ! here's a cup, a mug, a plate! It seemed so easy .

And I asked to myself... will I be able to do the same one day ?

Passion and tenacity illuminate everything. It's like love, isn't it?

Who has never wondered if he/she is going to make it?

Will we be able to find the right way , the letting go that leads to the Grail? I am quite a bit exaggerating in this similarity. Working with clay offers infinite well-being , zenitude, a meditative state , sensory fulfillment offered by clay and the most precious tool to human beings: our hands.

And what can we say about the smoothness of throwing porcelain !

I became aware over the course that pieces were coming out from my hands that I liked, over the course my gestures became more precise, over the course something was happening within me and the trigger appeared to me, it It's possible yes, my hands, my gestures, offer me a precious gift: the creation .

Glazing as they say there, enamelling for us, was also a step in finalizing my pieces. These enamel buckets with this sort of 'flat colored pancake batter ' there was nothing looking like the shine of the ceramics when they came out of the kiln ! This is the fruit of my efforts.

Catherine Thank you again for your teaching me, your generosity, your talent and your transmission. A warm 'hello' to you!

This first training was first rate for me, Catherine and David taught me everything. I needed to know that this was it . My new life . My momentum. My future . When I came to look for work as an executive assistant, ceramics and the 180° turn came up. I therefore prepared my present, did everything I could to be a ceramist today .

What a step..

It was my dream , I believed in it as hard as I 'could'. The blur cleared, the fog lifted and I held on with all my strength. And after 4 years of learning , traveling and life upheavals... , here I am, I have created my studio and at the same time am sharing this with you .

Here in Brittany , very close to the Atlantic Ocean which forms the link between our 2 cultures, our 2 continents .

A word about The people I met during these years . During this period of my life I met women who touched me a lot.

Those who undertake, of those who face it , often alone and in this Canadian cold, with only their two arms and their determination . Those who welcome you with all the generosity and warmness of their Quebec culture. They are examples for me.

In the Laurentians I'm think about Annie, an eco-responsible stylist artist, who created 3 Cocoons in a large chalet cozy at the Lac Canard shore, in Sainte Lucie des Laurentides. It shelters travelers in need of wilderness . Recharging your batteries here is a miracle in itself. I often stayed at her house, we quickly became friends.

I'm thinking about Annie-Claude, a portrait painter who offers her artistic talent for portrait workshops and intergenerational drawing in Val-David. She likes to accommodate travelers in his Garden of 3 houses . I was one of her very first guests. She welcomed me as a friend and introduced me to the amazing '1001 pots' event in Val-David, my very first potters' market!

I'm thinking about Cynthia, life coach and yoga teacher, who also reached out to me during these months in Montreal. She acts for the well-being of all by offering her yoga and life coaching classes in the city center. We were going to 'take a walk' and 'catch up' over a hot coffee. We had fun!

We're always been stayed up to date, each one on our continent.

They gave me the strength to go all the way , to never give up, to hold on and stay in action to get to today. They taught me how to weather the storms and emerge stronger on the other side. Thank you, dear friends!"

Some memories to share with you: the Garden of 3 houses, the Cocoons, the Lac Canard, Québec, Montreal, Mount Kaaikop, Gaspésie, and my first ceramics.