The Franciscan Renewal Center – also known as the Casa – is a very lively Roman Catholic parish in the USA. It is located in Paradise Valley in Scottsdale, a district of Phoenix, Arizona. The centre adopts a religious and holistic approach, which it also expresses, for example, in its counselling of families or people in difficult situations in life. In recent years, the Casa has experienced significant growth, which means the old building has since become far too small to provide its many members with sufficient space. For this reason, the community decided to build a new one.
The architecture includes several striking windows, which the American artist Scott Parsons designed. The implementation and execution of his designs were assigned to the experts at our DERIX GLASSTUDIOS in Taunusstein. We were happy to take on the challenge of this extraordinary project and are currently working under pressure to complete it, as delivery of the larger windows is scheduled to occur as early as July, while that of the smaller windows will be in August.
Several details about this project
To give some idea of the windows’ size, the main or Marian window is approximately six metres high and three metres wide; one of the side windows is about ten metres high and 50 centimetres wide. In order to execute Scott Parsons’ artistic technique and the almost incredible colourfulness and expressiveness of his designs, we had to look for new methods of production.
As the basic material we commissioned Lamberts glass works to produce a special flashed glass, a mixed glass of coloured waves, streaks and strong texturing in golden pink. In addition, mixed glasses were also used with differently coloured flashed glass. Our glass painters etched the visuals on to the glass in several steps. These multiple etching procedures were necessary to apply the very fine and flowing transitions of the originals to the glass true to the design. In addition, we reinforced the effect of the artworks through the application of other colours. With this technique, we succeeded in creating a second design level and enhancing the brilliance of the designs even more. The results can certainly be described as spectacular and demonstrate once again that DERIX GLASSTUDIOS Taunusstein are masters of traditional glass art at the very highest level.
The artist
Scott Parsons studied at the University of Colorado and Augustana University in Sioux Falls, where he is a lecturer today. In his more than 20-year career as an artist, he has presented his work in more than 80 exhibitions and has been awarded several international prizes. In addition to religious art, his portfolio also includes work for secular projects, especially glass windows as well as floor and mural mosaics. The most important aspect for him is to design art for public spaces and thus make it accessible to a wider audience. Scott Parsons lives with his family in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
