Show Alex Stecker Works With Stained Glass Just For The Pure Labor Of Love by y Glaittli In Alex Stecker's Stackers home there is a stained glass workshop which covers hovers one-fourth one of his basement Stecker Director of Libraries at is one of the few people in Utah capable of making stained glass Many people enjoy the art of making leaded glass but few ha have e the knowledge or equipment to make stained glass In n leaded glass many pieces of colored glass glas are welded together to make the finished product Stained glass eliminates many ny small j pieces of c colored oe gl lass lass' i by j factually t lly painting on the glass Stecker says stained glass pictures are created by painting backwards or blocking light to get an illusion Very few people are aware ware of the amount of illusion used in stained glass said Stecker Frames are a beautiful part of the detail used in stained glass Of the numerous frames used Stecker finds oak and green leaves to be the most used I work with stained glass just for forthe forthe the pure labor of love lov Stecker said He finds his hobby self-gratifying self and a away away away way to create He can l look ok at his work and sayAh I did that Stecker enjoys looking at the antique glass used because the flaws make each piece so unique and int interesting resting Stecker does not advertise He says My work is my advertising Stained glass is a very time consuming art Stecker keeps busy doing work for friends and small churches making wi windows dows archways and famil family crests Stecker spent every day for three years in Germany learning the art of stained glass He worked as an apprentice for his uncle who owns a stained glass company Stecker says not too many people have stained glass because it is very expensive Price varies with the colors of th the glass dark red and blue being the most expensive He looks into big windows at churches churches' and is overcome because he a is seed e t t e work that has gop gone A to them They're awesome he s says says ys but what's sad Stecker feels i is Ig that at sf stained in gl glass ss is so transitory a baseball could destroy a beautiful window in just seconds Another problem is acid rain Stecker said We W worry about acid rain destroying plants and wildlife but its it's also destroying some of the beautiful leaded glass windows throughout the world In a few years there wont won't be any lead to hold the glass in place and the hundreds of hours of work will be destroyed There are many places in Salt Lake where you can see examples of leaded and stained glass art Some good examples are St. St Marks Mark's Episcopal Church the Chapel at the Salt Lake Cemetery the canopy at Crossroads Mall by and the canopy by bythe bythe bythe the bakery at Trolley Square |