by Stan Detrixhe
The Phillipsburg United Methodist Church wanted a stained glass window of Jesus. They contacted artisan, Stan Detrixhe, who had worked on large projects, but this was to be by far the largest. He made a collage, which is a more precise model and guide to the final version.
The pattern of the window segments seemed a daunting challenge, but is actually a very balanced form, especially with the single largest segment near the center. This segment holds the life-sized figure of Christ. The off-center position of the figure is balanced by the tomb and the stone. The window with Jesus was installed January 25, 1992. The window of Christ remained alone for a couple of years, and the collage stayed in the entryway on an easel for about a year.
Many of the pieces are painted and fired to add texture and depth. This is a time-consuming process, but presents an illuminated painting, and not merely an assemblage of colored glass. The process of construction is the copper foil and sodder technique pioneered by Tiffany. Copper foil wraps around each piece, and soldering from both sides holds them together. Reinforcement bars are bent to these thin lines.
“It is a rare project that allows an artist a chance to produce work on such a scale, and I consider myself very fortunate” – Artist, Stan Detrixhern
