An artist spends countless hours, days, months and years perfecting their craft, so when you find a local Canadian duo that creates elaborate glass decor – in particular exquisite jellyfish pieces – you showcase this impeccable talent to the scuba diving world!
La Méduse is an artistic glass blowing company founded by François Turbide in 1985. The workshop was originally located behind François’s house in the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, where for over 20 years François would demonstrate his craft to visitors. It is one of the oldest glass blowing workshops in Canada.
In 2001, La Méduse relocated to a heritage building in the village of Havre-aux-Maison and then again in 2005 to the building it currently occupies. The company is now owned by the daughter of François, Catherine Chevrier-Turbide and his past glass-blowing apprentice, Sophie Bourgeois. After several years as business partners, these two incredibly talented artists have brought new energy and creative avenues for La Méduse’s blown glassworks.
We received our beautiful glass jellyfish from the Canadian glass blowing company La Méduse just over two weeks ago. As the emblem of this company’s studio, these jellyfish sculptures have been a keystone creation in the company’s glass-blowing history. The jellyfish arrived in a carefully packaged medium-sized cardboard box straight from the Magdalen Islands, Quebec. After carefully opening the box, I dug through the eco-friendly recycled packing paper fragments to reach this maritime-inspired glass art piece.
Our cylindrical glass jellyfish was roughly 22 centimeters (8.6 inches) in height and 5 centimeters (2 inches) in diameter. The elegant jellyfish hovering about inside the glass took up roughly ¾ of the ornament and was bicoloured. It had a beautiful umbrella-like blue coloured bell and wisping orange tentacles trailing beneath its body.
Based on the initial packaging, my first impressions of La Méduse were ones of excited anticipation. Right away I could feel the care, time and love these female artists put into their projects. From the sustainable shredded paper packaging to the jellyfish printed wrapping paper and small handwritten note left for us inside, this small business had a very classy and thoughtful appeal. I am a firm believer in the small details and there were so many little tidbits of our package that melded together beautifully.
Unwrapping the glass sculpture I was in awe over this refined creation. I had browsed over sample images on La Méduse’s website, but these photos hardly do the glass jellyfish justice. Ours was positively stunning.
The appearance of the sculpture made it easy to imagine seeing a jellyfish underwater. I could almost feel myself floating along in the ocean current watching this creature’s slow and rhythmic pulse. It had a fluidity about it – the smooth cylindrical glass piece filled with the long wavy strands of the jellyfish.
Being made of solid glass, this original jellyfish creation was surprisingly heavy – a testament to a quality product.
As a marine biologist, I also appreciated the artist’s attention to specific jellyfish characteristics. The figurine boasted not only the cup-shaped bell, which houses the jellyfish’s simplistic organs, but also the oral arms connecting the oral cavity, and spaghetti-like tentacles surrounding this feeding structure.
Want to learn more about jellyfish? Check out our species in the spotlight section and read about an animal that has existed since before dinosaurs walked the earth and can be found in aquatic environments all over the world.
As two scuba divers who love to be underwater, ocean-themed art is always something we love indulging in. This glass jellyfish was the touch of sea we wanted to add to the heart of our home decor. We love how each piece has a little something making it unique – almost as if it has its own personality. We also love how this refined sculpture was created by talented french Canadian artists located in the Magdalen Islands.
Have you been supporting locally throughout this global pandemic? What kinds of things have you been doing to elevate small community businesses?
Writers Note: This scuba diving post was sponsored by La Méduse as a part of our Dive Buddies 4 Life Reciprocal & Partner Program. All comments and thoughts in relation to the product are honest and strictly that of Dive Buddies 4 Life. For more information on glass blowing or to get your own glass jellyfish to visit La Méduse’s website.
Additionally, this post may contain affiliate links. We will make a small commission if you make a purchase through one of these links, at no extra cost to you. See full disclosure and disclaimer policy here.
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