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 The event was held at Regions Bank in Lincoln, where David and
wife Sonnie have their Coldwell Banker Real Estate Offices. The
artwork was on display in the downstairs entryway, as well as the
upstairs lobby area and the Coldwell Banker offices.
Alexander has been creating stained glass art for several years. He
noted that it was a favorite past time several years ago that went
to the wayside for a while in lieu of other activities such as
building a business and raising a family.
About eight years ago, at the encouragement of his kids, Alexander
took it up again and began creating beautiful pieces of art from
cut, colored glass.
Alexander uses his architectural talents to create the large
finished works made up of many smaller pieces fit together.
 Alexander said he created his art in a workroom in the basement of
his home. He spends time there first formulating an idea for a
piece, then sketching it out. His designs are made up of multiple
pieces of colored and sometimes textured glass that he cuts and fits
together like a puzzle. Once everything is cut and laid to
perfection, he wraps each individual piece of glass with copper
foil, then solders them all together to create his picture.
He noted that one of the most challenging parts of his process was
the trip to the glass store. He said he purchases the colored glass,
picturing in his mind what he wants. He laughed and said, "sometimes
it looks right in the store, but when I get home, it just isn't."
To finish the work, each picture is framed in a wooden frame. On
Friday evening, he pointed out a couple of pieces, in particular,
noting that they were tree cut pieces of wood, with the bark still
along the edges.
David is a fan of Frank Loyd Wright, and two of his favorite pieces
are pictures of Wright buildings, the Guggenheim in New York, and
one of the Wrights more well-known home designs, Waterfall house.
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Other notable pieces included the old fashioned steam locomotive
that was hanging on the second floor. The piece shows the train
crossing a truss bridge with smoke blowing from its stack. What
is fascinating about this piece, as well as several others, is
the fact that it is made up of several hundred tiny pieces of
glass, all carefully put together to create a picture.
Some of Alexanders pieces lean to the abstract while others reflect
the days gone by when stained glass adorned the front doors of many
Victorian homes.
Another striking piece in the collection is the one with an Egyptian
theme that features pyramids, the Egyptian Eye of Ra, and the
Egyptian Mau or sacred black cat.
During the showing, Alexander's daughter Katie stopped in to say a
quick hello and was also quick to point out her favorite piece, a
colorful peacock with its tail down but slightly flared to show off
its colorful plumage.
It was a busy evening in Lincoln on Friday, but for those who took
the time to drop in, they certainly must have enjoyed seeing the
colorful art that is a passion of Alexander’s. For those who missed
it, there are always pieces on display at the Coldwell Banker
offices, and there's a good chance that if David is around, he'd be
happy to show you his work and tell you about it.
[Nila Smith]
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