We were lucky to catch up with John And Nancy Doughney recently and have shared our conversation below.

John and Nancy, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The creation of our outdoor mosaic art gallery over several years has been one of our most satisfying projects. This was born out of the need to use all the scrap glass we had accumulated over the years of doing stained glass. Our first glass on glass mosaics began with two detached antique hutch doors purchased at an antique mall ten years ago. We sought out old windows and tabletops that were discarded and continued creating pieces. At the present time we have 22 mosaics positioned throughout our yard ranging in size from a 24 in. circle to over 13 ft. triptych of dolphins. What is so special about our personal gallery is that each piece challenged us in a new way whether it was the size, the subject matter, or the style we wanted to create. We believe our reward for our work is the opportunity to enjoy it each day and share it with others who come to visit.

John and Nancy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

About twenty years ago, I (Nancy) was watching a DIY show on TV. A wind chime made from glass caught my attention and I decided I wanted to make one. I went to Hobby Lobby, bought some glass, a soldering iron, solder, copper foil and some basic tools needed and tried to assemble something in our garage. I’m not sure how successful I was at that time, but it caused me to investigate a class in stained glass at a local hobby store. This class led to another, and I was hooked. Not too long after that John started helping me and continued to hone his skills. We converted a spare bedroom into a studio when our nest became empty, and over the years our one-bedroom studio would be tripled in size with two additions. What started as a hobby had become RinDoughney Stained Glass, LLC, merging our names of Rindone and Doughney.

Creating stained glass produces a lot of scrap glass, so that naturally led to the production of glass on glass mosaics. We found a couple of glass hutch doors at an antique mall and decided to try our hand at this technique. This was a wonderful use of our scrap glass and provided another creative avenue. While we initially created these just for our backyard, it became another opportunity for sales.

Two years ago, I saw an online picture of a bear that appeared to be hand-painted. Stunned to discover it was a mosaic I delved a little deeper into the artist and discovered they were offering an online class. Although apprehensive I registered and ended up taking two of their classes on realism mosaics. Now hooked on this style I have continued to create pieces ranging from a 36 x 48 in lion to 12 x 12 pet portraits. Our works have been featured in over 20 online exhibits and we are proud that several have won awards in juried exhibits.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Our mission is to make the beauty of glass art available to everyone who wishes to enjoy it. Because of this, our business model is not one that yields great profit. Instead of turning great profits, we instead choose to price our products so they are accessible to more. We have probably gifted and donated as many pieces as we have solid. Our satisfaction comes with the look of joy on the faces of those who are recipients of our work. Most of our work is commissioned and very personal to our clients. Our goal is to always deliver more than expected.

In addition to original commissioned work, we have completed many repairs. One of our favorite memories is that of a local law enforcement officer who sought us out with the hopes that we could repair a treasured piece that belonged to her grandmother. This piece had special sentimental value and was damaged in transit to her home. The young lady went to several stained glass businesses and was distraught after getting quotes that were as high as $1000 – clearly out of her budget. Her mother knew of a retired educator she used to work with (John) who has a home stained glass business.

She contacted us and asked for our help. We told her to bring it to our home and we would see if it was work we could do for her. She arrived at our front door in tears. We examined the piece and discovered it was certainly repairable, but we would have to search for compatible glass. We repaired the piece for $200 (cost of supplies) and even made two stained glass angels using the broken pieces of original glass (one for her and one for her mother) to commemorate the passing of her grandmother. Tears flowed once again when she picked up the repaired piece with her mother. Repairs are incredibly time-consuming, and that’s why she received such costly estimates for repair. In addition, many companies do not want to mess with the repair of a family heirloom. We saw it as a way to restore a piece that meant so much to this young lady in addition to easing her obvious pain caused by the loss of her grandmother.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

We are both career educators with a combined 95 years of experience in public education. Neither of us was an art teacher. We have one art class between us. This is shared to shine a light on the fact that if you have an interest in creating art, then act on it. It’s never too late. We continue to learn every day, through trial and error, through youtube videos, through online art courses, and through connections made with other artists in a wide variety of Facebook groups.

John has no artistic training besides what Nancy has provided and no woodworking background besides what he has learned online and from listening to skilled craftsmen. Nancy’s former boss had a saying, “If you make a mistake and learn from it, consider it tuition. If you don’t learn from it, consider it a cost.”

We have paid a lot of tuition over twenty years and love the feeling of creating something meaningful for another person. We spent a career shaping minds. We now get to shape tangible things that bring others joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rindoughney.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rindoughney/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rindoughney
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rindoughneystainedglass3670

Image Credits

All photos were taken by John and Nancy Doughney.