[June 07, 2013]    

David Alexander of Lincoln was recently accepted as a juried artist by the Illinois Artisans. Alexander talked about this on Thursday afternoon, saying it was quite an achievement, but one that doesn't come easily.

In order to gain this distinction as an artist, Alexander said he had to apply to the Illinois Artisans. In doing so, he had to submit many photos of his work and written explanations of the work, the inspiration and what he was thinking when he created a piece.

Alexander, who owns Coldwell Banker Cornerstone in Lincoln with his wife, Sonnie, is actually a trained architect. In his art, his interest in architecture shows, as many of his pieces are depictions of beautiful buildings that he has a fondness for.

His favorite architect is the very well-known Frank Lloyd Wright, and Alexander has two pieces that are renditions of some of Wright's most beautiful and famous works.

Pictures by Nila Smith

David Alexander stands with one of his favorite pieces; his rendition of a famous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house, which is actually located in southwestern Pennsylvania, is one of Alexander's favorite pieces.

 

Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York

Alexander uses a copper wrap method for his work. Each piece of glass is cut to fit the picture, and the edges are wrapped in copper. Then they are joined to make one large work of art.

 

Because the glass is heavy and will bend if not in a sturdy frame, Alexander said he designed the railroad truss in this picture to serve not only as part of the art but also as reinforcement for the piece so he could use a narrower frame
 

One of the nice things about creating original works is that one doesn't necessarily have to do everything in proportion. Alexander said the smokestack on the train, for example, is taller than it should be, "but that is the way I wanted it."