[June 07, 2013]    

David Alexander said his interest in stained-glass art began many years ago. Thirty-plus years ago he started creating smaller pieces of art. He set it aside for a while as he and Sonnie raised a family and built a successful business in Lincoln.

Now, the past three years, Alexander has resumed creating glass, turning simple, flat sheets of colored glass into beautiful, intricate works of art.

Now that Alexander is a juried artist, he will be able to show his pieces in some very important places such as the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, James R. Thompson Center in Chicago and at the Southern Illinois Art and Artisan Center at Rend Lake.

Alexander said he does plan to show at these places, and while there will put some of his pieces up for sale. He explained that he wants to use this venue to help him determine what his art is really worth. Once he's established what the market value for the pieces should be, he may offer pieces for sale locally.

But in the meantime, it costs nothing to look. Alexander has three pieces hanging in the entry to Regions Bank, where the Coldwell Banker offices are located, and a few more pieces in the office. He invites folks to stop by and take a look. He's always happy to show his work and talk about it with anyone who is interested.

Pictures by Nila Smith

All the glass Alexander uses is colored glass, not painted. He said one of the challenges is to create a concept and know the colors of glass that will be needed before he goes shopping.

This piece is hanging in the entryway at Regions Bank. This close-up shot of the sidewalk and front of the building shows the great detail that goes into creating a piece of glass with depth and dimension.

 

This piece hangs in the entryway at Regions Bank.

 It depicts all the things that are important in the Egyptian culture.