DAVID JAMES

Sculpture

Video presentation of the exhibition and opening on Sunday July 25, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For this exhibition, David James shares eclectic works that span his career and reveal new forays. They include never before exhibited pieces in cast glass, sculptures in granite, a three-part maquette for a much larger work.

Rain or shine, his abstract glass creations exude brilliance and seductive hues. David uses high lead crystal that disperses light more than ordinary glass. Unlike thrilling glass blowing, the ‘action’ of casting glass happens out of sight. Once the glass melts behind a kiln’s closed doors, a sculpture can take weeks to cool very slowly to avoid self-destructive stress. Relatively few glass artists use this 4,000 year old technique.

The sculptor turned to granite to make very large pieces that are practically impossible to achieve in glass. He turned from luminosity to the darkness of black granite, though he typically incorporates brilliant stainless steel spheres. Highly polished black surfaces, reminiscent of his glass work, give way to the raw, rugged depth of the rock inviting one to reflect on wherein lies the beauty. 

From his Sutton studio, David James’ œuvres have been exhibited in galleries in Canada, United States and England. His works are in the permanent collections of the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal and the Canadian Clay & Glass Museum Kitchener, ON.