Walk by John Provencal’s stained glass booth at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market on any sunny Saturday. Light catches the glass, refracts and dances into a hundred splinters of light. Take a couple of steps and the fleeting beauty of light vanishes visible only for a second.
Provencal’s creations, sold under the name Provencal Stained Glass Designs, are modeled after Louis C. Tiffany, the most influential stained glass visionary of the 19th century. Tiffany created large stained glass windows, lamps, vessels and ceramics while developing new methods that gave his works both a sense of fragility and permanence.
“I aim for a three-dimensional look like Tiffany. He added seven to nine levels of glass to get the right effect. I don’t do quite as many, but it’s there,” said Provencal.
A St. Albert High graduate from the class of 1979, he had always enjoyed drawing freehand. But while attending school, his major focus was sports – soccer, football and hockey.
“I really wanted to be a hockey player. I did a lot of hockey, but I was too small – only five foot, seven inches,” Provencal said with a wide grin.
Happy to graduate with no intention of picking up secondary education, the young man was hired by ProClad Enterprises at 18 to install sheet metal paneling, and he worked at the company for 35 years.
In his mid-20s he walked by a store that advertised stained glass classes, and thought, “Hey, I can do that,” and quickly adapted a skill set he used at work.
Within a short time, he felt inspired by the multitude of glass colours and the potential design concepts.
“I would go to the library and check out books. I realized I liked the architecture, and I liked the sense of accomplishment from a finished piece. I can use my imagination and put it on glass. It’s fulfilling to have people stare at my pieces. Then I know I did my job.”
A full-fledged disciple of the art, Provencal has cut glass for 30 years. Currently he cuts and solders assorted images from sports logos, angels, flowers and birds to iconic buildings, pop culture figures, sunbursts and snowflakes.
When the visual artist began selling at the St. Albert Farmers Market six years ago, he noted many shoppers were attracted to the bright coloured pieces that arose from Victorian traditions.
Currently, he’s noticed shoppers are expressing themselves at home with a more serene, peaceful vibe and are asking for decorative art, windows or housewares with clear glass.
Janelle, who did not wish to give her surname, purchased a clear, horizontal decorative glass window fabricated from different types of clear glass.
“I like his work. It’s beautiful. It’s a different type of art. It’s not seen often, and he has such a knack for making things,” she said.
Provencal also plans to offer beginner stained glass courses.
“It’s a good way to measure your skill level.”
Interested parties can email [email protected] for more information.
