In Sisters, Half life it is happiness in its purest, most youthful form-- without thought or care -- sparked by nothing more than the beauty of the dance, the thrill of movement, and the joy of being alive. The expression of joie de vivre is perhaps Richard MacDonald’s most distinctive gift: in the context of the revival of figurative sculpture, it is his innate feeling for the positive and uplifting side of human experience that makes him stand apart in contemporary art, which for most of the twentieth century found the expression of happiness problematic.