Working with light

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 16

Working with light

Imagine a year on a Mediterranean island, surrounded by azure sea and artistic souls, and the only expectation is that you create. Francis and Michele Mougel. recent immigrants to New Zealand, did just that seven years ago.

Francis Mougel, now in his early 30s, had established a reputation as an artist in France, and was paid by Paul Ricard, the aperitif magnate, to live on his island in the south of France. , There, surrounded by other talented young artists, Mr Mougel concentrated on painting and drawing. The Mougels decided to leave the “idyllic sounding” artistic retreat just before the birth of their second child.

The French couple, with their four young children, immigrated to Christchurch 10 months ago. They have brought with them two of the oldest traditions in France: the language and the art of stained glass.

Mr Mougel teaches French at the Rudolf Steiner school and at Christchurch Polytechnic. He creates stained glass art works in his spare time. Mr Mougel moved into stained glass after his sojourn on the island. The move to glass was a natural transition from his paintings, he said. “When you paint you play with lights,” he said, "but often the - artist is quite unhappy because it is difficult to capture the light in the painting. With glass you work with the light. Stained glass is always lively. The colours change continually depending on the situation and the atmosphere outside.”

He worked for three years in an old glass factory in Saint-Gobain, Alsace. Initially in the commercial section, he moved to the workshop when the old man in charge of the workshop retired. Keen to learn the craft of stained glass work, Mr Mougel showed his drawings and was soon learning the technique as well as managing. The factory, which employed 12 stained glass artists, produced work for private houses, churches and other public buildings, said Mr Mougel. In stained glass work the lines, forms and colours are the most important features, according to the artist. He stressed the importance of finding a balance and harmony in a work.

“It is important to have artistic forms in houses,” said Mr Mougel. “Life is getting more and more stressful and art is one of the best medicines,” he said. Although his work until now has featured the use of leadlight and stained glass, Mr Mougel is interested in creating works which would be made up of layer upon layer of stained glass, giving quite a different effect. Most stained glass work was commissioned for a particular building, said Mr Mougel. “The relationship between the artist and the customer is important,” he said. “It is important to meet the customer and see the house, to feel the ambience and then design.”

In Christchurch Mr Mougel is getting back into his stained glass work after a respite of three years. His last three years in France were spent as an “educator specialiser” at the Rudolf Steiner school in Auvergne. There he worked with chil-

dren, particularly those with educational and social problems. Mr Mougel said he found art a very effective form of therapy. The family’s move was motivated by a desire for change. In France, Mr

Mougel said, there were lots of old castles, pleasant surroundings and tradition, but it was very difficult to do something new. “The economic situation is very hard,” he said, “and for young people it is more difficult to

make a way.” Mr Mougel said he found New Zealand society more open to change and was enjoying living here. Mr Mougel said he had lots of ideas for stained glass works but needed

more time and money to put them into practice. He has been borrowing studio space at the Artists Quarter and has already designed and made glass panels for a Christchurch house,, as well as pieces for exhibition.