SALT LAKE CITY — For the last 24 years, Allison West has felt most at home in her art studio in Sugar House making stained glass art for customers.
The local artist is the mastermind behind many stained-glass pieces seen throughout Salt Lake City — in houses, churches, historic buildings, and local businesses.
“I’m constantly thinking glass needs to go everywhere. Everywhere I go, I’m like, ‘Glass would look good right there,'” West said. “Or, ‘Hey, look at that. That would be cool out of glass.’”
West opened a glass retail supply store and Western Art Class studio in 2004.
“Stained glass makes people so happy, and I love it that people trust me to create something that is going to bring them joy,” she said.
West originally went to trade school for fashion design but got into glasswork through a summer job in 1999. Fast forward 25 years later, West has become a go-to source for ancient art that offers colorful glimmering lights that subtly change the atmosphere depending on the time of day.