Le Grand Atelier: a collaborative seminar packed with artistic experimentation

Florence Jalice
2 days ago
5 min read

An insider’s view of an artistic collaborative experience

Florence Jalice © AFTAB - Photo Julien Soufflet — Florence Jalice © AFTAB Photo Julien Soufflet

Le Grand Atelier is a collaborative seminar for artists and artisans, organised every two years by the French Association for Artistic Woodturning, AFTAB (see below). Its sixth edition took place from 29 June to 5 July 2026 in Aiguines in Var, at the Escoulen School of Woodturning.

In this article, I reflect on my experience as a participant: how did my printmaking practice find its place within this buzzing, welcoming hive of creativity?

The concept: craftspeople and artists come together to co-create

Le Grand Atelier aims to facilitate exchanges between creators to produce collaborative works (presentation on this page. Film in English with French subtitles here). For five days, artists and artisans join their forces to co-create artworks. This environment enables all sorts of combinations of materials and skills. The focus is not put on production, but on the joy of sharing and exploring.

At this sixth edition, there were around twenty of us – woodturners, a jeweller and gem-cutter, sculptors (working in wood, metal, concrete…), cabinetmakers, a steelworker and ceramist, an embroiderer, a lacquer artist, a milliner, a felt-maker, a feather artist, a gilder, textile artists, an engraver, visual arts practitioners. Many already excelled in several techniques, creating a dialogue between different materials within their own work.

At the end of the week, the collaborative pieces are auctioned to help fund the project. Examples of creations from this edition and previous ones can be viewed on this page.

What to bring with me when embarking on a journey into the unknown?

It was my first time taking part – what to pack in my little bindle? How would my printmaking work fit into collaborative pieces? I decided to take:

printing plates in different materials: linoleum, a material I’m used to working with; vinyl, well-suited to making stamps and printing on textile and several pieces of Japanese plywood very nice to carve into,
different kinds of paper, some cotton cloth,
two types of ink – a ‘classic’ oil-based ink and one designed specifically for printing on fabric. I also took a jar of fluorescent pink pigments, because, I told myself, you never know. As it turned out, you really do never know.

How do you get a collaboration off the ground?

Just as appetite comes with eating, collaboration comes with collaborating! At Le Grand Atelier:

some people conceive a collective piece and call for participants;
ideas and projects spring from observing fellow artists' work;
a ‘recycling space’ offers materials that can be used in creations,
observing techniques and handling materials inevitably sparks ideas.

Artisans who have taken part before initiate many collaborations; work gets underway quickly. The workload increases day by day, and even night by night, to ensure everything is ready by the day of the auction.

A journey that gradually drifted away from my usual creative practices

When you take part in Le Grand Atelier for the first time, you are discovering new territory. As the week went on, my creative journey gradually wandered away from my usual path. It was a bit like taking some increasingly hidden and intricate paths, eventually arriving someplace unknown well worth discovering!

To begin with, I stayed within familiar territory

I carved a landscape onto wood, evoking Sainte-Croix Lake as seen from the village of Aiguine. Once printed, this block was used to create a bas-relief; it was then passed on to an expert gilder: the lake now shimmers with brilliant reflections, just as one might imagine it at sunset. A metal sculptor then cut a steel plate so that the print could be displayed in a ‘floating frame’ on a raw-looking backdrop. The final piece is full of contrasts: the fragility of the wood and the robustness of the metal, the sophisticated shine of the gilding and the simplicity of the raw steel, the velvety texture of the ink on the surface of the printing plate and the uneven texture of the gouge cuts in the wood.

Using this block, I printed the design onto paper. The paper was then embroidered with fluorescent thread and mounted onto wood. It is secured by a discreet and lovely synthetic horsehair fastening, finished with a large sequin: the final piece is a collaboration of eight hands.

Finally, I made a small drypoint print on a recycled Tetra Pak carton; printed onto paper, it was embroidered with beads and sequins and then framed using crocheted thread. Six people contributed to the final piece.

Printing a woodblock - ©AFTAB photo Julien Soufflet
Carved block and print
La maison sans racine embroided Woodcut print - © AFTAB photo Julien Soufflet
The Gilding of the block - © AFTAB photo Julien Soufflet
Qu'importe l'heure sombre ou claire - © AFTAB photo Julien Soufflet
Saisir l'instant - © AFTAB photo Julien Soufflet

During the week, I experimented with new media, at the invitation of curious and creative craftspeople

An artisan created a wood-turned textured stamp. I used it to imprint on paper and then on wood veneer. These two printed elements subsequently found their way into imaginative collaborative pieces.
A felt-maker suggested I print onto silk organza. She then felted it and incorporated it into a series of delicate zinc wall decorations.
Even more surprising to me, two participants carved a plaster brick. They then suggested I print this design onto paper and then onto various fabrics. I discovered that plaster works very well as a printing surface and that the incisions in the material are accurately transferred.

Taking a quick look back at the week, it appears that, in terms of collaboration, printing, rather than carving, led to most of the joint creations.

Finally, the seminar also led to some experimental work with ‘lacquer’ as a material: is it possible to print on a lacquered surface? What material should be used for the stamp and which kinds of ink? Some trials were inconclusive; others, however, proved promising. This research is underway.

Printing onto silk organza
Getting ready to ink and print a plaster bloc onto textile

Workshops allowing participants to discover one another's skills

This residential week offered participants the opportunity to try their hand at woodturning and other techniques under the patient and supportive guidance of the resident professionals. I had the pleasure of facilitating linocut and Tetra Pak printmaking in a very relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.

Artistic collaboration: the infinite potential of creativity

Printing onto laquer — Printing onto a lacquered surface © AFTAB photo Julien Soufflet

At the end of this week of collaboration, I stepped outside my comfort zone. I worked with unexpected materials, some more precious than others, such as plaster, silk and lacquer.

Printmaking found its place where I had not particularly expected it to, and the printing process proved to be a powerful (and playful) vehicle for co-creation.

Artistic collaboration brought to life artefacts that no one could have imagined on their own. I leave Aiguines with a greater appreciation for the discussions with fellow makes and potential for future collaborations.

The French Association for Artistic Woodturning (AFTAB) aims to promote the art of woodturning. Today, artistic woodturning is more vibrant than ever. The diversity of techniques and the originality of forms and colours bear witness to the mastery achieved and the constantly evolving creativity.

The AFTAB aims to act as a link between professionals, artists and craftspeople, amateur woodturners, markets, galleries and exhibition venues, museums, government bodies, schools and the arts and crafts sector.

The Association’s objectives: