2 Hand-Crafted Stained Glass Candle Sconces by Richard MacDonald

Double Stained Glass Sconces

Richard MacDonald's stained glass artwork is in high demand.  These two matching stained glass sconces will be a stunning addition to any decor. These two one of a kind Belvedere Sconces are valued at $600 as a pair and are the last of their kind. So clearly a unique collector's item. The two wall sconces are each 13 3/4" tall, 4 1/8" wide and 3 1/4" deep.

Here's what Richard says about his style: I had an early affinity for glass that I can't explain. I took offense when neighborhood kids broke bottles, and of course, it was a glass world in those days before plastic became ubiquitous.

My mother collected Chrystal wine glasses form Sweden and I remember being entranced with the form, texture and weight of them (when I was allowed to touch!), We also frequented a restaurant that served water in deep red cut glass goblets, and again, I loved them.

I never did anything with glass until my twenties, when, while working at a research project, a friend's wife told me where I could get COLORED GLASS!! Holy smoke! I was off.

In those days the hobby movement had not begun, there was no such thing as a craft shop, and the stained glass industry was almost dead. Only two or three suppliers in the whole country and the very few studios still open, guarded their methods like a dragon on its gold. There were no books except some antiques. I was told, bend some copper around the glass and put melted lead on it. So there I was with a Bernzomatic torch and fish weights putting together my first projects, Whew! I learned a bit from a more accommodating artist and worked from his scrap bin for a couple of years and quickly went from my kitchen table to a studio storefront in Cambridge Mass, when a guy walked in, invited me to dinner and introduced me to my mentor to be. Peter Mollica was working for Christie Rufo who had a studio in Somerville, and both opened me up to what I needed to know. Peter was an early leader in what became a modern glass revolution in California, and Christie Rufo was designing gorgeous windows for churches and temples. I learned painting and firing, traditional window construction, and was introduced to suppliers in New York. Christie taught me a little about business and more about color. Peter later moved to California and became an influential artist there.  I opened a studio in Arlington, married and had my first child, then twin girls and in 1972, moved to Maine.

For forty years, I participated in national shows from New York to Florida and my studio flourished with many workers and shipments to nearly every state, even to Japan and Saudi Arabia. In 2009, the studio burned to the ground and I rebuilt a modern building. Since then, I have concentrated on fewer galleries, less production, and more individual pieces. It's actually a bit more complicated, but very satisfying and I am driven to create new things. I work every day, talk to my cat, mutter at the TV news, and ride a motorcycle to get away. See more of Richard MacDonald's work at his website: https://www.rjmglassart.com

• Name : Richard MacDonald