Best of 2003: Best Stained & Leaded Glass

Noel Laue, Elemental Glassworks
16261 Woods Valley Road, Valley Center
760-749-7590

For over 20 years, artist Noel Laue has been working with stained, painted, and leaded glass -- specializing in windows, doors, and entry halls. He's a glassblower, too, so he can give you special effects such as three-dimensional bubbles or subtle colors you'd never find in sheet glass. His lowest rate is $65 per square foot, but a painstaking copy of Alphonse Mucha's art nouveau Woman by a Waterfall painting cost $1000 per square foot (the window totaled eight square feet). For most people, Laue believes using different textures of clear glass, like ripples, pebbles, or antique effects is a better choice than colored glass -- because the clear does a better job of surviving changing decors.