Born in 1960 in a small village in Charente-Maritime, Gyslaine Pachet Micheneau has always been attracted by painting, particularly landscapes and themes related to spirituality. She lives and works near Tours. She sketches, draws and paints in ink or charcoal in nature, then creates her landscapes in acrylic or oil on canvas in her studio. She is also fond of watercolour.

Self-taught, she joins d Anne Frigière's workshop in 1997 in her mill in Pernay (37), for her apprenticeship in painting for several years, with nature as her main source of inspiration.

Loving contact, she choose to paint outdoors in art markets and painters' villages, which allowed her to meet her audience.

Involved in professional exchanges with other artists, she is a member of La Maison des Artistes and the "Art Sciences Lettres" academy in Paris.

For the past 3 years she has been working on symbolic subjects related to spirituality, with the series on the Templars, driven by an interest in the history of her region.

She regularly exhibits in galleries in France and Brussels, sometimes with her son Ludovic, with whom she shares the same passion for painting. Her husband, an amateur photographer, also joined them. Art is an adventure that can be experienced with the whole family!


The artist and the Stained Glass Workshop - The story of a meet with Emmanuel Benoît de Rey 

From conception to stained glass drawings realization - 2017 & 2018

During the Festival of the Arts in Montrésor, Gyslaine Pachet Micheneau exhibits her Templar paintings in a bucolic atmosphere among regional landscapes. Emmanuel Benoît de Rey immediately spotted her work on the Templars and asked her if she would be ready to make drawings for the stained glass windows of the 2 windows of her chapel. The first window would be dedicated to the creation of the world and the second would go from Creation of the world to Paradise, each composed of 5 plates. First, he suggests to make about ten drawings and, if he likes them, he gives him the green light to choose a glassmaker in order to collaborate in the realization of the stained glass windows.

The artist takes up the challenge of this commission, which does not correspond to his usual themes. She agrees to leave her comfort zone by "inventing" a style and imagery, adapted to stained glass, very different from what she does with her landscapes. She managed to find a glassmaker, Philippe Audoux, who agreed to try the adventure. The most important thing remains : finalize the order, in other words, submit the drawings to Emmanuel Benoît de Rey and validate or not the project.

An appointment is made with Emmanuel Benoît de Rey, not in the chapel but... on a motorway station ! Gyslaine Pachet-Micheneau presents her drawings, which are accepted by her client, with a few minor corrections. After stage fright, it is the relief and pleasure of seeing your work appreciated.

The day ends at the Atelier du Vitrail to submit the project to the Master Glassmaker, Philippe Audoux. This first meeting will be followed by many exchanges for a tripartite collaboration rich in lessons. The date of creation of the stained glass windows for the first window is November 2017.


The story of an apprenticeship in working with glass in collaboration with Philippe Audoux, glassmaker at the Atelier du Vitrail PAJ, for the realization of stained glass.

Manufacture of the cardboard for the first window
The drawings are first enlarged in black and white by photocopying. The glassmaker then draws a geometric path that will surround the fresco composed of the 5 drawings, he obtains 5 black and white paper plates. They will each be reported using a projection. He determines the network of seals using a brush on each of the boards before cutting the boxes that will serve as a template for the size of the glasses. Each cardboard is numbered and placed on black and white paper boards that will serve as a model for the background.

Choice of colours and glasses.
With the help of the colour models, the glassmaker will choose the glass plates according to the shades and thicknesses. He will then cut the glass with a diamond following the contours of the cardboard templates. Each piece of cut glass will be placed on the template and the whole will be placed on the bottom model. This gives an overview of the glass parts of the stained glass window.

Painting glass
Using brushes, on each piece of glass is applied grey composed of metallic oxides of brown or black colours, depending on the desired finish. The drawings are reproduced on each of the parts using the cardboard templates by transparency on a light table. They are reinforced by more or less thick lines and areas of light are created by removing grayness using different tools such as feathers, brushes, in.

The painting work and collaboration with Philippe Audoux is a start, the adventure continues.....

 

Lead setting
The Master Glassmaker proceeds to the lead setting of each of the 5 panels that make up the window. They are sealed with putty and then cleaned.

The installation
Last step, they are assembled together by rebates in which they slide. These rebates are hung on horizontally sealed barlocks in the masonry. The waterproofing is ensured by a layer of mastic. This is the first window completed and installed. The second window is finalized mid-2018 using the same process.

"The commissioned work for the realization of these stained glass windows that embellish the chapel of a private castle with their colours, is a beautiful adventure on an artistic and human level. I discovered the pleasure of working with others in complete confidence on a common project, the joy of receiving a transmitted knowledge. My infinite gratitude goes to Emmanuel Benoît de Rey and Philippe Audoux who opened up beautiful perspectives in my artistic and personal quest, showing me other paths, other interstices to let the light pass through... »

Gyslaine Pachet Micheneau