Biography

Patrick Primeau

Patrick Primeau was born in Montreal in 1974. After a visit of a glass studio that ignites his imagination, he enlisted in the Espace Verre technical program. That was in 1997. Following his studies, Primeau worked for various workshops in Canada, the United States and will spend a year in Marseilles, where he worked at the prestigious Centre International de Recherche sur les arts Verriers (CIRVA). Back in Montreal in 2004 , he co-founded with Caroline Ouellette, Welmo glass studio. His innovative designs inspired by Venetian techniques have earned him, among other things, a place in the collection of Montreal Fine Arts Museum and the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec. His pieces are also found in several private collections.

“For me, glass is a medium to express freedom. That’s how I look at my work and that’s also how I wish it to be perceived. The material’s malleability allows me to create organic shapes. The constant tension between my technical abilities and the desired shape propels my work to another level, which leads me to explore new venues. Transparent, opaque, smooth, or textured, glass transforms itself in my hand and gives shape to my ideas, while remaining true to itself. I aspire to re-create the shapes and colours that I observe when I scuba dive in the hand-blown pieces that I make. Scuba diving and glass working have several similarities. They both require following the rules and being calm in order to succeed. They also compel me to push my limits further to create new shapes and make surprising discoveries.”

Artwork