About David James
Canadian artist David James creates luminous sculptures cast in glass and bold exterior works carved in stone that often incorporate stainless steel.
His sculptures have received international recognition and garnered a number of important awards. A cast glass work merited The Museum of Art and Design Award (formerly the Museum of Contemporary Craft, New York City) at an international invitational exhibition held by Habatat Galleries, Detroit.
His large-scale granite sculptures received a Peoples Choice award at the largest sculpture garden in eastern Canada at le Domaine des Ctes d'Ardoise in Dunham, Québec.
James was introduced to hot glass in the mid-1990s at a Bavarian arts camp run by the European glass pioneer, Irwin Eisch. The experience was so inspiring that he took a leave from management consulting in London, England and immersed himself in glass blowing at the prestigious Orrefors school in Sweden. Back in England, he studied and later worked with the renowned U.K. cast glass artist, Colin Reid.
James returned to Canada in 1996 and left consulting the following year to open his first casting studio in St. Henri, Montral. His works have drawn the attention of numerous publications. They are included in 500 Glass Objects, A Celebration of Functional and Sculptural Glass (2006), and The Contemporary Glass Art of the World (2004), the first Chinese survey of international art glass. Articles about his work have also appeared in specialist glass art periodicals and he has participated in many exhibitions across North America.
Several juried invitational exhibitions have requested James glass creations, including The Glass Vessel: An International Invitational at the Kentucky Museum of Arts & Design, Louisville, Kentucky, and Infiniment bleu at the Muse de la civilisation, Qubec City. His sculptures are part of the permanent collection of the Musée des beaux-arts in Montréal and in corporate collections at the Banque Mirabaud in Montréal, Northwater Capital Management in Toronto, Orkin Collection in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Tata Collection in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Born in 1949 in Deep River, Ontario, David James has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and politics from Trent University, Peterborough, Canada and a graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Western Ontario, London.
He worked for CBC Radio for a decade, his last post as its Paris correspondent. In 1983, he graduated from the MBA program at York University in Toronto and then joined the management consultancy, McKinsey & Co.
In 2004, he moved his studio to Sutton, south of Montréal in the spectacular Eastern Townships.
Honours & Awards:
2015: Juror for the Royal Bank of Canada Award in Glass 2011: Canada's Department of Heritage gives 'OSNI' designation to his sculptures - of Outstanding Significance and National Importance
2010: Works selected for books: Best of Worldwide Glass Artists Vol. 1., and Studio Glass: Anna and Joe Mendel Collection, Muse des beaux arts, Montréal.
2008: People's Choice Award for granite sculptures 'Portal' and 'Heaven & Earth', in exhibition 'Nature and Creation', at le Domaine des Ctes d'Ardoise winery, Dunham, Québec.
2004: Museum of Arts & Design Award, New York City 32nd International Glass Invitational - The Awards Exhibition, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan. 2003 to date: Juror for glass sector awards for the Council of Arts and Letters of Qubec.
2001: 1st prize Expo-Concours, La Prairie, Qubec.
Collections:
Muse des Beaux Arts - Anna and Joe Anna Mendel Collection, Montral, Qubec.
Banque Mirabaud, Montral, Qubec.
Northwater Capital Management, Toronto, Ontario.
Orkin Collection, Atlanta, Georgia.
Tata Collection, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sutar/Lai Collection, Hong Kong, China.
Education:
1994-1997 Kilncast glass workshops and assistant to Colin Reid, Stroud, England.
1995. Glass blowing, cold work. Glass School, Orrefors, Sweden.
History of Art Glass. Glass studies- Sothebys, London, England.
1994. Bild-Werk Glass Institute - Introduction to hot and cold glass, Frauenau, Germany.
1983: Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.), York University, Toronto, Ont. Canada.
1972: Graduate diploma in journalism, 1st place. University of Western Ontario, London, Ont. Canada.
1971: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Political science and history, Trent University, Peterborough. Ont. Canada.
