Valérie Colas des Francs

Institut National des Métiers d'Art

Straw marquetry maker

©Marc Antoine Mouterde

©Julien Cresp

Testing her own patience

Straw marquetry dates back to the 17th century
Valérie worked for many years with master Lison de Caunes
Some of her pieces take many months to make

At the age of 33 Valérie Colas des Francs decided she wanted to leave her career in marketing in order to work with her hands, but she was afraid she wouldn’t have enough patience for a manual profession. That proved to be the case when she took a course in stained glass. Then, determined to put her patience to the ultimate test, she decided to pursue an internship in straw marquetry, “because it’s meticulous, detailed work. I told myself if I am patient enough to work with this, I can change jobs”. When she first arrived to train at the workshop of French master Lison de Caunes, she “fell in love with straw” and knew instantly this was what she wanted to do. She stayed with de Caunes for 14 years before opening her own studio.

Interview

©Julien Cresp

©Julien Cresp

Does your love of stained glass influence your work?: Yes, there is a lot of colour. It's atypical work. Most of the time straw marquetry resembles wood marquetry, it’s the same skill, the same actions, the same techniques. So I try to use straw a little differently. I have a particular style, for sure.
What else inspires you?: Nature with all its colours and scents, particularly the trees and forests and empty horizons. I’m also inspired by the Art Deco years and artists such as Hopper and Mondrian, and music – everything from jazz to baroque. But I particularly think about the simplicity of nature.
How does your work draw on tradition and innovation?: By continuing to work on the restoration of old objects in straw marquetry. In fact, if I’m innovative, it’s because restoration always challenges me. They were doing extraordinary things in the past, so restoration pushes me to understand techniques and to think beyond the limits of the material.
What do you most enjoy about your work?: The sensuality of straw, the time it takes, and the surprise that is always there when I finish a piece and I touch it and look at it. Sometimes it takes a long time; one piece took six months. When I try out techniques and do things differently it takes even longer.

Valérie Colas des Francs is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2012