This glass mosaic was created by us for the catholic church of St. Barbara in Muirhead, Scotland. It's a small village (in Scottish Gaelic: Ceann a' Mhonaidh) 7 miles North-East of Glasgow. The mosaic was commissioned by Fr.Kenneth Campbell, the priest of one and only catholic parish in Muirhead. We started working on the project one year in advance. At first, it was all about the design, and then the execution, that took a half of a year. A set-up of the mosaic took one week. The work on site was fast and efficient thanks to the great hospitality of Fr.Campbell - Thank You!
Single-nave St.Barbara's Church was built in the fifties. Our mosaic (6 meters high and 3 meters wide) is set on the gable wall, making a background for the altar. The mosaic depicts Golgotha with Christ crucified and two figures - Virgin Mary and St.John the Evangelist. The Calvary cross is an image of the Tree of Life. The vine leaves pattern creates the background of a composition. In the lower part it's ligt, gradually increasing intensity toward the upper side.
The central figure of Jesus is represented in a bit different way than the other figures. With his fiery, bold colour of the skin, it's stands out and gives us incentive to pray and contemplate. It's obvious that he belongs not only to our world but also to the transcendent reality.
At his feet there is a small emblem - two crossed hammers in a gear wheel. It refers to the mining past of the region. Till 80s there were many active coal-mines in this area. In September 1959, 130 men lost their lives in a coal mine near the village of Auchengeich.
The mosaic is made of the opal glass (approx. 6 000 pieces). It was divided into several panels, attached to the wall and finished on set in order to make the joints invisible.