“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” — Revelation 3:20
The chapel at Emporia Presbyterian Manor is a little more colorful now, thanks to a new stained glass piece by local artist Jim Dillman. Administrators at the manor asked Jim, a winner in the Art is Ageless competition many times over, to create some artwork for the chapel. Jim said he would.
“I told them it would be a gift, because I felt I had gained so much from their Art is Ageless event,” he said.
The 18-by-33-inch scene depicts Christ at the door, as described in Revelation 3:20. It was dedicated in a ceremony at the chapel on May 9.
Jim found the pattern in a catalog for stained glass artists. It’s a common scene in Christian art, he said, and the artist who creates the patterns is skilled at translating images from paintings and drawings into glasswork.
Although Jim did all of the stained glass work, the project was a group effort. ReAnn England, assistant activities director at the manor, hand-painted the facial features of Jesus onto the glass.
“She gave him a very kind, gentle look,” Jim said.
And local woodworker Gary Romine built a light box to give the image a proper display, because there are no windows in the chapel to illuminate the glass. He took care to match the woodwork with the light oak trim already in the chapel.
Jim found some textured glass that was a perfect fit for the scene. The glass he used for the door looks like wood grain, and the stone surround has a rocky texture. Jim’s wife, Beverly, estimates the project took about 10 months to complete.
“I felt honored to be asked, and I was very willing to do it,” he said. “I’ve already had some really nice comments about it.”