Poterie la Luciole

Where are you from ? Lucinda: I am from the region, I was born in Mâcon. Pascal: I am Alsatian, Burgundian by adoption. Why this job? What is your background ? L: Studies and me made two. I stopped after the Baccalaureate, I was in research and I had always been attracted to the artistic professions. The Mâcon art school offered leisure courses, and the teacher of these workshops noticed my skills and my interest, he suggested that I train to develop my potential. Then I did the CNIFOP training in Saint-Amand in Puisaye 26 years ago, I met Pascal who was also following this training, I brought him back in my suitcases and we have now been established for 24 years ! P: I started pottery by chance. I had started the visual arts, but school, for me either, was not an environment where I was going to be able to advance. In Strasbourg, I went to classes at the municipal school of decorative arts. I was in contact with someone who was a potter, but at the time it didn't seem like the direction to follow. And over time, after having done other jobs, working in the associative sector programming concerts, skimming different avenues, I finally opened my eyes and pottery appeared to me as a path to follow. I started the CNIFOP training and everything came together very quickly after that. L: We both had artistic training, but we never really found ourselves under the label “artist”. While artistic craftsmanship, even if it is close, it is also very different: we are in the manufacture of the object, which must respond to a need, which must be functional, while bringing our creativity and our sensitivity. P: yes, we are really “manufacturers”. The art world, even if we have respect for all artists, is really not our environment. L: Since our beginnings 24 years ago, we have changed production. We are making fewer utility parts, which we used to produce in large quantities, to focus instead on lighting fixtures. We have changed our production, but also our way of working. We always sell turnkey objects, but we also work on unique, tailor-made projects to create a luminous atmosphere. We really like that, it creates proximity with our customers. We have a very varied clientele, and people let us into their homes, into their privacy. People who have a light fixture from our workshop in their home are a bit like being part of the “Luciole” club! Finally, we are called “La Luciole”, in reference to my first name, and today we make a lot of lighting, even if it was not an anchored desire, it came naturally. Why here? P: After the training, we spent two years going from workshop to workshop, to consolidate our training. Then we were straddling Alsace and Burgundy, our regions of origin. L: in Alsace, there are already two traditional villages, so setting up with non-traditional production would undoubtedly have been more complicated. I was originally from Prissé, and I love my little corner of Burgundy! We looked for an apartment, which we found in Pierreclos, and at the same time I took part in a “young challenge” organized by the DDJS, I put together a file and we were able to get financial help to settle in. . In Pierreclos, the Post Office was going to move, and we were able to recover the premises to install the pottery. P: Looking back, I can say that I do not regret having changed region, I feel good here, in my adopted region. Your favorite place on the Grand Site? P: a few years ago, we passed by the Grange du Bois every day to take our daughter to high school, and there is this view, with the two rocks, sometimes Mont-Blanc. I of course like the Roche de Solutré, but in fact I really like this whole area: Solutré, Vergisson, etc. On the other hand, we live in Cenves, on a daily basis we prefer: there are fewer vines, a wilder landscape. L: I grew up here, so the vines are part of my environment, I love them. There is another place that I love and where there is an extraordinary view, it is the Col du Carcan, towards Cenves, and from there there is the view of the two valleys: that of Tramayes, and the Mâconnais on the other side. It's a lesser known point of view, but I love it. P: there is also the Madonna, from Cenves. It’s also an extraordinary viewpoint. Your best memory on the Grand Site? L: climbing the Roche de Solutré is a real pilgrimage, we do it every year. It is part of our life. But our highlight was the year 2000: our marriage in Pierreclos, the creation of our company. P: The two other highlights are of course the arrival of our 2 daughters, they are 21 and 18 years old today.