Broken Branch Birdhouses & Other Designs

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Sean and Helen Franchi moved to Athol in 1999 with their three children. Sean works for the Department of Youth Services and Helen is an independent contractor, presently working for Green Mountain Glass in Winchendon.

“We’ve always made things together,” says Helen. “More often than not it was out of necessity, making something we wanted or wanted to give as gifts. We’ve always been attracted to the challenge and beauty of incorporating old and used items to create new and interesting things.”

Their mixed medium work fuses wood, wire, and stained glass into wall or window hangings, and attempts to capture nature and people in action from the North Quabbin landscape, the source of much of their raw materials. Sean and Helen say that it’s easy to find inspiration living in such a beautiful part of the state.

The mountain laurel is cut on their property in Athol, and the frames are made from old barn boards, recycled windows and gnarled wood they just can’t resist using in their designs when they can find it.

Recently they have been experimenting with making more affordable versions of customer favorites, like ‘Blue Moon,’ but each piece evolves in to its own. Sean says, “Every branch is unique and thus requires something different to be done with it.” Often they will start out with the intention of making a specific item, but then end up creating something entirely different because the materials they are using just dictate it that way.

Helen & Sean Franchi
Athol, MA

Phone: (978) 249-8429
Email: hsfranchi@peoplepc.com