For me it all began in 1981. I was 20 years old living in northampton and I walked by what was then a stained glass studio called Sunburst Glass Studio. I was just amazed by the things I could create. My first creation was "The Owl Clock" that I have copyrights for and was the very first clock for "The Wilderness Colllection" of which there are over 17 original clocks all handmade by me and added to my collective works.
After the Owl clock I made an additional 16 clocks with differnt scenes in each from ducks to deer and different scenes you might see in the wilderness.
In 1983 I walked in to a store at 15 Elm street, right on court square in springfield, Ma 01105. The store was called "The phone booth botique" 15 Elm street in springfield, Ma 01105. I walked in and introduced myself and said I was going into the stained glass business and would like to hang some of my work in his windows and help him draw in more customers and help me promote and sell my work. His question was, How are we going to put a phone store? his store, and stained glass together? My response was, I guess I'm going to make stained glass telephones. I copywrote the first stained glass telephones in the world in 1983. There are only 2 that exist, 1 of which is a desk model and is done with glass and mirror with etched roses and queen ann style legs. My mother has thnat one, and the secod one was a wall model that was designed like a house. one of the windows on the left side was the keypad for dialing the number. the door had a note pad and the phone hung on the side of the house. This one is still unsigned, but the owner could bring it to me and I would sign it. I sold it to John Quill, who used to be the weatherman on channel 22 in springfield and I believe he willed it to his son when he passed.
The cardinal window. This window has quite a story behind it. It's a nonagon so it's nine sided. My brother was trying to make the frame and said he couldn't do it but he knew i could and showed up with a box of scrap pieces from his effort. So I used the pieces he had and came up with the frame. Just the fram was in the wall of a stairway leading from storefront upstairs and there was no glass in it for about six months and then one day someone walked into my store and asked whats that going to be and I replied, "That's going to be the Cardinal window". And it was one of those things I spoke into existance and I heard myself say it and then I researched the word Cardinal, the word means primary, so I included all the primary colors and created the crown below the center, the crown itself has emeralds, diamonds, jade, onyx, and saphires. The diamond in the center was 2Kt.
This one is called the hope window, I donated it to Holy Grounds Cafe on state street in springfield massachusetts.
This is one of three for the front office of the monkey wrench building where my studio is located. Since I have been located in this building for 18 months, I have made and installed over a dozen stained glass windows from the right side around the front on the second floor.
