James was born in Edmonton in 1986 and then moved to Ottawa shortly thereafter. He gained exposure to glass blowing through a condensed 14-week program at the well-known Haliburton School of Art. Directly out of high school James originally completed the drawing and painting program at Haliburton but was drawn to glassblowing. After this intense and informative program James spent the next eight months honing his skills at various glass studios across Ontario, which has led him to Sheridan College’s Craft and Design program.
James thinks of the surface of glass as a canvas and treats it as such. He uses colour and texture to create depth and emotion in his works. He finds that glass is ‘a very organic material; there are patterns that occur in nature that are a natural translation in glass.’ He finds joy in discovering these patterns and creating an either literal or figurative connection. There is a high skill level required in glass blowing and it is this that gives James pride and chooses to take time his pieces rather then rushing them. Drawing inspiration from sources that relate to rural and natural areas and specific aspects of nature’s own science, his body of work is reflective of what is seen and what happens around him in this ‘enormous and beautiful place.’
