Florida Artists Group

James' Bio:

Movement defines my life and my outlook on art. Change disrupts my ability to settle and
forces me to grow beyond the boundaries I was prepared to cross. These changes may be positve
or negative in their immediate effect, but the long term result creates a dynamic life and carries over
to a dynamic body of artwork.

My calling to art is one of extreme emotional swings. I have loved and lost, won and sabotaged, earned
and neglected, been trustworthy and suspect, been lucky and tragically unlucky and still I remain faithful
that those experiences have provided me an understanding of humanity in an important, well rounded way.
That my failings and shortcomings have molded me more than my successes is undeniable in the insight
I now share with my collectors through my glass narrative work. For in those short stories of color, texture
and light one finds hope.

The fact that I was an elite gymnast in my youth, a lifelong skateboarder, the head cook for a restaurant,
a manager for several copy centers, an organic farmer, or the winner of a full academic scholarship to the
University of Florida is only the resume friendly part of my story. Does it matter that I failed art history
and lost my scholarship, had to quit gymnastics due to injury, or left management in distressed frustration?
Does it matter that I came to glass blowing in an insane act of escapism? Does it matter that I am accused
of being too honest and open?

What matters is that I say yes to life. I say yes to projects that take me to the edge of my ability. And because
of that, I now have six sculptures on permanent display in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum’s
latest permament exhibit, the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. It is because I said yes to foregoing health insurance, yes to penalties on my early withdrawal of my 401k, and yes to a life of insecurity that I am now a happy, well respected glass artist who is proud of his ingenuity, original style and his ability to navigate the guantlet life continues to offer. It is because I say yes that one sees the possibilities rather than the despair of many of my works and may find courage in their own pursuits.

Artist’s Statement:

Futility and Utility: An Exercise in the Transparent Function of Glass

For most, glass is a matter of fact. It is a tool that has pervaded every aspect of our lives. Yet, there is a beauty to it that is hard to define. Beyond it’s utilitarian facade, there exists a nature of communication. If a piece of glass is formed in such a way as to convey ideas or to remind us of a story, but not refined for any practical purpose, than has this glass exhibited a function? Is there another perspective of what functionality means? These types of questions are the same sort of thoughts that lead me to the creation of glass narratives based on our most primitive humanity.

Perception and the evolving nature of self-examination takes us through intimate and deeply personal journeys as we ask ourselves how we have become who or what we are. Some of the trials we experience are universal, and some are so private that we may choose to hide them even from ourselves.

In my work I use as many techniques as possible to arouse specific feelings. I use texture, shape and color to awaken hungers and desires. I use suggestive form to provide a framework for what I am trying to say, leaving something curious for the viewer to fill in with their own imagination. I use etching to soften pieces and strong colors to harden others. I use gold and silver fuming to capture light and reflect changing light. In many cases, I leave delicate transitions that beg the fragility of the piece, evoking the intimate nature of ourselves, developing a longing for contact, and daring to be touched.

Commissions:

2011 Miami Beach International Fashion Week , Art Meets Fashion Dress Contest, Erin Healy, Jen E., James Stanford collaboration:
The Roy Lichtenstein Dress (glass bodice) featured in “Cravings South Florida Magazine, March/April 2011
2011 Miami Beach International Fashion Week , Glass Masks for Erin Healy’s Collection runway models
2010 Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of Natural History, David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins, 3/17/2010 - permanent
Pathogen Exhibit: Cholera, HIV, Bubonic Plague, Small Pox, Influenza, and Entamoeba Histolytica
2009 Lyonia Environmental Center, Deland, Florida - Interactive Porous Cement Display

Awards:

January 2012         "Best Emerging Artist" American Craft Retailers Expo (ACRE), Orlando 2012
November 2011     "Award of Commendation" Lake Mary-Heathrow Festival of the Arts, Lake Mary, FL
February 2010       "Best in Glass", Osceola Art Festival, Kissimee, FL
April 2009              "Best in Glass", Port Orange Art Festival, Port Orange, FL
November 2008    "Best in Glass", Estero Fine Art Festival, Estero, FL
April 2008              "Best of Show", Suncoast Art Festival, Port Richie, FL
February 2008      "Award of Merit", Winter Fine Art Fair, Gainesville, FL
April 2007              "Best of Show", St. John's Town Center Fine Art Festival, Jacksonville, FL
August 2006          "Best of Gaineville: Home Decor", Gainesville Magazine's Best of Gainesville edition,                                   Gainesville, FL, Interactive Porous Cement Display

Exhibitions:

December 2011        "Small Objects", Ponte Vedra Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra, FL
April-June ‘11           "Florida Artists Group 2011 Statewide Exhibition", Cornell Museum of Art &
                                     American Culture, Delray Beach, FL
May 2011                   “Cave Paintings of the 21st Century”, Butterfield Garage Art Gallery, St. Augustine, FL
December 2009       “Untitled”, Ponte Vedra Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra, FL
July 2009                  "Perspectives”, Neu America Art Gallery, Orlando, FL
April 2009                “A Touch of Glass”, Orlando Museum of Art, First Thursdays, Orlando, FL
July 2008                 “Surrealist’s Holiday”, Orlando Museum of Art, First Thursdays, Orlando, FL
November 2007      “Natural Progression”, Galleria Di Vetro, New Smyrna,
                                    "Two Generations of Artists in Glass”