The Virgin Mary Glass Mosaic
The Virgin Mary Byzantine mosaic glass sculpture sits at St. John's church in Hanover, KS greeting everyone as they walk in. She measures over 3-foot-wide and 5.5 foot tall. Every piece of glass is less than a 1/2-inch square and was hand cut and set by Thomas Koehler. In all there is over $3,000 worth of glass making up the Virgin Mary.
"In traveling the country, a person begins to appreciate the overabundance of artwork our Kansas Parishes have versus a new church in, let's say Alaska. I felt that there was a way to raise money in the creation of Art for both myself and the Knights of Columbus." - Thomas Koehler
"In traveling the country, a person begins to appreciate the overabundance of artwork our Kansas Parishes have versus a new church in, let's say Alaska. I felt that there was a way to raise money in the creation of Art for both myself and the Knights of Columbus." - Thomas Koehler
From Drawing to Heads Up
"The particular image of the Virgin Mary that was chosen is a late 1800's painting by Zabateri. The main challenge was to create a face that had no lines, with shading, out of glass." - Thomas Koehler
Clothes, Hands, and a Halo
Winning blue ribbon at county fair
Once the mural was complete, Thomas Koehler entered it in the Washington County Fair where the Virgin Mary won both a Blue Ribbon and the Grand Champion Ribbon.
Adding a Boarder
Knowing that something was missing, Thomas decided to add one last detail, a stone boarder using travertine, black granite, and Byzantine glass.
Ready for Fund Raising
Koehler Tile has been working with the local Knights of Columbus Chapter to advertise and raise money for the local community. A large portion of the proceeds will be used to support the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound initiative, Pro-Life highway sign and the Hanover Kansans for Life group.