design & creation in Normandy - Fred the sculptor

Continuing my new series about the people I know in Normandy who create on a daily basis, today I would like to introduce you to Frederic.

 Fred is a friend from the brocante fairs.  Our paths often cross early on a Sunday morning, hunting for treasure at a sale in a field or on the windy path of a country village.

But besides dealing in antiques and brocante, Fred is a creator.  

Make that Creator with a capital C. 

Metal is his medium, and in his hands it sings.

 I went to see him in his workshop, in an old disused mill, with the constant roar of water from behind the old brick building, and ivy creeping up the walls.

I expected him to talk to me about the finer points of welding, or the qualities of tin and chrome.

But instead he talked to me of the soul.

  Of his own...

  and that of the objects he creates.

At the moment he is creating sunburst mirrors.  He explains that the mirror for him is a mysterious object, reflecting an image, an atmosphere ... inviting the user into a deeper world.

He finds the old convex mirrors and builds the sunburst theme around them.  A long and painstaking creative process ... that he loves.

The mirror he just finished when I arrived is particularly beautiful, built around an oval mirror.

He creates other objects too, and today his art is sold in Paris, from where it moves across the world.  Pieces of his work have already been crated up and found their way to the States and to South America. He is what you call a rising star.

All that from a workshop in deepest Normandy.

So next time you walk past a chic art gallery and spot an unusual creation, I invite you to pause and reflect on where it may have been made, and the journey it has taken to appear before you.

Some treasure emerges from the most surprising places!

And if you are interested in acquiring a piece of Fred's work, you are most welcome to email him here or to drop me a line, I'll be happy to pass on the message!

Frederic Liger