Julien Bulard, master glassmaker: a passion for stained glass from father to son

Julien Bulard réalise des vitraux à la commande. M.L.

Cet été, Midi Libre est allé à la rencontre de Gardois qui exercent un métier pas comme les autres. Premier volet de cette série avec Julien Bulard, vitrailliste à Saint-Alexandre.

In Saint-Alexandre, Julien Bulard continues the work of stained glass artist in his workshop, as his grandfather did in the 80s in Montpellier, then his father, for twenty years in Pont-Saint-Esprit, until he settled in the small village of Gard with his son in the early 2000s.

Julien Bulard who started in 1996 recognizes that he has "immersed in stained glass since my youngest age". In 1998 he obtained his CAP, trained, for the theory, at the center of Vannes-le-Châtel in the Nancy region and with his father for the practice. In the same way, he validated a certificate in artistic crafts with a stained glass option in 2001.

Restoration, creation, conservation: the motto is displayed large on a beam in the workshop. At the entrance, like a sign, a stained glass window from 1983 signed by his grandfather represents the worker and his tools in honor of the people of the trade. The words " joy" and "work " are cut out. The tone is set.

For the artisan " the basis is to start with a blank sheet and arrive at a glass panel" he explains. The profession requires great manual skill and significant versatility. There are many tools: pencil, brush, hammer, grinder and many others. "We touch on the wood, stone, iron, glass and lead trades in particular. " Julien Bulard thinks he only transmits know-how because for him "passion is being attracted to stained glass, we already have it in ourselves. I'm just here to teach the technique “.

Discovery courses

After his father's death in 2010 and until 2022, Julien Bulard, like him, continued to "pass on knowledge " and train apprentices. Since then, the situation has changed: "the profession is subject to drastic standards because of lead and excessive constraints. As a result, I reoriented my activity by choosing to work alone “. This new organization still offers the possibility of stained glass discovery courses as a hobby. They last four or five days with three possible levels, discovery, intermediate and advanced, from drawing through glass cutting and lead setting, to glass painting.

The Bulard family created all the figurative stained glass windows in the church of Saint-Alexandre. The village saint is featured with Saint-Vincent, patron saint of winegrowers and a virgin with meticulous work in shades of blue.

Bulard stained glass windows shine mainly in the Rhone Valley and the south-eastern quarter of France. 90% of orders come from communities, town halls and associations and less from individuals. For Julien Bulard, as with painters, “each master glassmaker has his own style and graphic identity. In creation, the glassmaker will leave his mark over time“. The passion for stained glass has not abandoned this craftsman who calls himself a homebody and remembers: “my father wanted me to go and discover the profession in other regions and other countries, but I couldn't see stained glass anywhere other than at my father's house“.

Correspondent: st-alex-midilibre@laposte.net

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