JAMES, David (1949)

Born in Deep River, Ontario, David James is an internationally renowned artist. James became interested in sculpture at a very young age, but it was not until 1995 that he decided to register for Riksglasskolan, a prestigious school of glass in Sweden. The artist had previously completed studies in political science and history at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and he earned a degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario in 1972. After studying at Orrefors, a famous glass school in Sweden, David James returned to Canada in 1996 and opened his first casting studio in St. Henri, Montreal. He is primarily known for creating luminous sculptures made of glass and sculptural stone pieces often incorporating steel. The Canadian artist, a former journalist for CBC, uses the lost wax casting process in his work. This technique is traditionally used to create bronze sculptures. In 2004, he moved his studio in Sutton to the Eastern Townships. Four years later, the sculptor explored further possibilities with stone sculptures. With this new medium, he drew forms and had them cut by professionals. His work has received several awards, including the Museum of Art and Design Award (2004) at an exhibition at Detroit’s Habatat Galleries, and the People’s Choice Awards (2008) for one of his pieces at the largest sculpture garden in Canada, Domaine des Côtes d’Ardoise, in Dunham, Quebec. His sculptures belong to many permanent collections, including at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the banking and financial group Mirabaud in Montreal, Northwater Capital Management in Toronto, the Orkin Collection in Atlanta, Georgia and the Tate Collection in Las Vegas, Nevada.