John Richards 9x14 Handbuilt Figural Bug Lamp FL6034

This playful creature/bug lamp by John Richards showcases the artist’s distinctive approach to sculptural lighting and narrative drawing. Built over a hand-bent wire armature, the form is layered with tissue and paper to create a translucent shell that becomes the body of the piece. Richards then covers the entire surface with his signature doodles—humorous sketches, symbols, cryptic notes, and graphic patterns that wrap around the creature like a living sketchbook. The drawings transform the sculpture into a story-filled object, encouraging close inspection and multiple readings. Both humorous and inventive, Richards’ lamps combine hand-built sculpture, spontaneous drawing, and functional light into objects that feel playful, personal, and unmistakably handmade.

Spikes along the creature’s back and exaggerated features give the form a mischievous personality somewhere between folk animal, cartoon invention, and dreamlike beast.

When the internal light is turned on, the piece glows warmly through the paper surface, illuminating the drawings from within and turning the sculpture into a luminous lantern. Really a sculpture that happens to light up. UL approved lighting fixture. Cord off and on switch. Measures 9.5" tall and about 14" head to tail and 7" deep. 

Ships for $20 with insurance and tracking. Does not ship outside the continental USA.