The stained-glass artists of Minnedosa

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This article was published 11/02/2022 (1407 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MINNEDOSA — A husband-and-wife duo of 60-plus years are continuing to build their legacy of art in a small town, one piece of glass at a time.

Residents of Minnedosa since 1965, Vivian and Raymond Bazin took an interest in the craftmanship behind stained-glass art in 1996 following Raymond’s retirement from a 30-year career as a mechanic and vocational instructor.

The two had never looked into the practice before a stained-glass course offered at Fort Whyte in Winnipeg. Based on Raymond’s handiwork as a mechanic and proficiency in woodwork, he asked his wife whether he should take the course, and if he did, that they would learn to craft together.

“It was a shot in the dark,” Raymond said.

After Vivian agreed, the couple spent several weekends at Fort Whyte learning the craft and found the process of making stained-glass art fascinating.

Starting off with lighter projects like angels and birds, the Bazins converted their small basement into a workshop full of glass supplies and tools needed for the trade. More than 25 years later, the pastime has turned into a productive way of life post-retirement.

“It’s when you’re working at something like that, you don’t think of anything else. You just focus on what you’re doing,” Vivian said.

“You can spend hours and don’t realize the time goes by, just like going golfing, actually,” Raymond said as the couple both laughed.

The typical process of cutting and tracing the glass patterns, grinding and cleaning the glass, to then wrapping and soldering the pieces can take anywhere from one hour to several hours, depending on the scale of the project, they said.

Over time, the couple started taking on projects like restoring old church windows after people would bring in windows with broken pieces. Raymond said it is quite difficult to take apart existing windows piece by piece, but replacing the glass is possible. As a result, the couple has restored and recreated stained-glass windows for people from Brandon, Minnedosa, Neepawa and Hartney.

“People hear what you have to say, what you do, and it becomes word of mouth,” Vivian said.

“It’s rewarding because people see what we do and want more of our stuff made.”

Inside their workshop, the Bazins have dozens of past art projects tucked away, sorted by animals and birds, to holiday-related glass art. The work completed on restoring the stained-glass windows remains their most ambitious project to date.

When they get to work, they never rush what they do and instead, take each of their projects on a day-by-day basis and enjoy the company.

“Being a hobby, we never thought of how long it took, we do just a little bit now and then,” Raymond said.

“Years ago when we first started, I used to play music that the monks used to sing because I thought monks and stained glass went together,” Vivian said.

“We find it very relaxing.”

Before the pandemic, Vivian would bring their artwork to craft sales in Minnedosa on a regular basis. In September 2020, their granddaughter began posting their artwork on Facebook, and the demand for homemade glass took off.

“People were ordering local because it was Christmas time; everyone wanted something that they didn’t have to go shopping for,” Vivian said.

Every six months, they will visit Winnipeg to get more supplies and carry on what they love doing the most. In June 2021, the couple celebrated 60 years of marriage, and the two smiled and laughed after thinking about all they have done together.

“Well, it’s great that we get along,” Vivian said.

Whether it’s looking for inspiration from Pinterest, taking requests or making the Winnipeg Jets logo — a task they’ve taken on 11 times — the couple finds they will build in phases, working on similar items at a time. More recently, Vivian has spearheaded the creation of glass ladybugs, bees and rabbits, a request sent to them for the holidays.

“That’s what keeps you going, is people are happy with what you’re doing,” Vivian said.

In addition to accepting project orders for stained-glass art, the Bazins also make 15-inch stepping stones with many different design patterns.

Anyone wishing to connect with the Minnedosa artists can find their work on their RVB Stained Glass Facebook page.

» jbernacki@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @JosephBernacki