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James Walker

Here you can read something about me. Below that you’ll find my curriculum vitae.

     Over the past quarter century, James Walker has designed and produced stained glass, both for architecture and as autonomous art objects. More recently his art has moved into the sculptural realm while utilizing the mass, optic and color qualities of cast glass.
     His first work with glass commenced when he and John Croucher set up Sunbeam Glassworks, a glassblowing facility in Auckland, New Zealand. After several years, he sold out his interest and set up his own studio to specifically focus on the design and making of stained glass windows.
     During the early eighties, Walker's work with stained glass and its integration into architecture developed under study with the most prestigious names possible: Prof. Ludwig Schaffrath of Alsdorf, Germany and Prof. Johannes Schreiter of Langen, Germany. Subsequently, he was invited to contribute work to Schaffrath's 60th birthday exhibition, then invited to work alongside Schreiter as his Teaching Assistant and also given an artist-in-residence stipendium at Wilhelm Derix Glasgestaltung on the advice of these two artists.
     Throughout the 1980's, he completed numerous window commissions in both public and private buildings. Various awards and grants underscored his successes with these works. Most notably, the Auckland Architectural Association gave him their annual award for his successful collaboration with Ian Athfield, New Zealand's leading avant-garde architect. It was exceptional for this award's recipient to be selected from outside the architectural community.
     Walker's being offered a Teaching Assistantship afforded him his first experience at the Pilchuck School, located near Seattle, Washington. While there Prof. Stanislav Libensky of Czechoslovakia admired his work. Dialogue and a subsequent friendship developed.
     The following year Walker was invited to study under Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova in Pilchuck's Masters Class and emerged to be named their most outstanding pupil. He then went on to live in the Czech Republic for much of the 1990's to continue with the development of his sculptures in cast glass.
     These three primary figures in his creative development have offered remarks as follows:

"Walker's knowledge and power of judgement is extraordinary."
Prof. Ludwig Schaffrath, Alsdorf, Germany

"James Walker is without doubt a glass window designer of standing. His use of light, colour and shape as a complement to contemporary architecture is as surprising as it is noteworthy. His solutions in visual terms for rooms and spaces are in every case artistic statements of great originality."
Prof. Johannes Schreiter, Langen, Germany

 "His composition always has the correct creative spirit."
Prof. Stanislav Libensky, Zelezny Brod, Czech Republic

JAMES WALKER
curriculum vitae

 

 

E-mail:

 

 

 

 

Birth:

August 12, 1948 / Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

 

 

 

Citizenships:

United States of America and New Zealand

 

 

 

 

 

 

general chronology

 

1992 - PRESENT

Living in the Czech Republic while creating sculptures in cast glass

 

 

1980 - 91

Design and fabrication of architectural glass installations from own NZ studio

 

1982 - 85

Three terms elected to Executive Board, Crafts Council of New Zealand, Inc.

 

1980

Charter member, New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass (NZSAG), Inc.

 

1977 - 80

Co-founder of Sunbeam Glassworks, an Auckland-based glassblowing facility

education

Master of Philosophy of Fine Arts - Design (first class honours) - University of Auckland. Auckland, New Zealand

1989

Bachelor of Science - Marketing (honors day recognition) - University of Illinois. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA

1971

professional studies*

Prof. Stanislav Libensky (Prague Acad Applied Arts) & Jaroslava Brychtova. Masters Class, Pilchuck School, WA, USA

1990

Joachim Klos (Nettetal, Germany - artist/designer of stained glass). NZSAG Workshop, Hanmer Springs, New Zealand.

1989

Richard Marquis (Whidby Island, Washington, USA - artist/designer/glassblower). Wanganui Polytechnic, Wanganui, New Zealand.

1988

Prof. Johannes Schreiter (Frankfurt Academy of Fine Art). NZSAG Workshop, Inglewood, New Zealand

1983

Prof. Ludwig Schaffrath (Stuttgart Art Academy). Caulfield Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.

1981

tuition and lectures given*

Elam School of Fine Arts. Auckland, New Zealand

1991

Interglass Symposium '91. Novy Bor, Czechoslovakia

1991

Teaching Assistant, Pilchuck Glass School. Stanwood, Washington, USA

1989

Teaching Assistant to Visiting Prof. Johannes Schreiter, Chisholm Institute. Melbourne, Australia

1987

Deakin University, School of Architecture. Geelong, Victoria, Australia

 1987

Australian National University, School of Fine Arts. Canberra, Australia

1987

Sydney College of the Arts, Department of Glass Studies. Sydney, Australia

1987

University of Auckland, School of Architecture. Auckland, New Zealand

1982/84

architectural commissions*

Fossilrock Homestead. Queenstown, New Zealand (Athfield Architects)

1989

Hutt Valley Energy Board. Lower Hutt, New Zealand (Athfield Architects & Nightingale/Bentall/Inkster)

1987

HRH Crown Prince Tupouto'a and Tongan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of Tonga (Pacific Architects)

1986

University of Auckland, School of Commerce. Auckland, New Zealand (JASMaD Group Ltd.)

1984

First Church of Christ Scientist. Wellington, New Zealand (Athfield Architects)

1983

BP Oil (New Zealand) Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand (Graham Smith Architects)

1982

exhibitions*

Vystava pro vsechny (Exhibition for Everyone). Vila Portheimka, Prague, Czech Republic

1998

International Flat Glass Symposium. Teplice Museum, Teplice, Czech Republic

1993

International Glass Symposium. Bohemia House, Novy Bor, Czechoslovakia

1991

Kunst Aus Glas In Der Architektur. Wilhelm Derix Studio, Taunusstein, Germany

1991

Kanazawa International Glass '90. Kanazawa, Japan

1990

The Human Touch. Rotorua Art Museum, Rotorua, New Zealand

1989

Ludwig Schaffrath's 60th Birthday Exhibition. Rathaus der Stadt, Alsdorf and Galerie in der Finkenst, Munich, Germany

1984

Glass from Australia and New Zealand. Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt, Germany

1984

Philips Studio Glass.  Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand

1984

Pacific Glass '83. Touring exhibition, works from NZ, Australia, USA, Japan. Govett-Brewster Art Museum, New Plymouth, NZ

1983

awards*

Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand Study Grant

1990

Wilhelm Derix Workshop Stipendium. Taunusstein, Germany

1987

Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand Major Travel and Study Grant

1986

Monier New Zealand Design Award. Co-sponsored by Auckland Architectural Association & Monier (NZ) Ltd.

1983

publications*

- Glass Art. Peter Layton.  London, A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd (1996) p. 64.

-'IV. Interglass Symposium', Glass Review, (Prague, EFEKTco Ltd.) v. XLVII, n. 2 & 3 (1992) pp. 7, 10, 33, & 38.

- Who's Who in New Zealand. Auckland, Reed Books, Division of Octopus Publishing Group (NZ) Ltd. (1991).

- Contemporary Stained Glass. Andrew Moor. London, Mitchell Beazley Publishers (1989) p. 57.

- 'Growing Pains: Evolution in Glass', James Walker. Craft International, v. XI, n. 4 (1988) pp. 28-29. p. 269.

- New Glass Review 8. Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY. Reprinted in Neus Glas, n. 2 (1987) p. 144.

- Encyclopedia of New Zealand. David Bateman.  Auckland, Windsor Watt Ltd. (1987) Part 48, p. 1315.

- 'Index of NZ Craftworkers' [FIRST SELECTION], Lani Morris. New Zealand Crafts,  n. 11 (1987) pp. 22-24.

- 'Auckland University's Arts & Commerce Complex', Philip Clarke. New Zealand Architect,  n. 1 (1985) pp. 36-37.

- 'Glasmarlerie im fernen Osten (Australien, Neuseeland, Japan)',  Suzanne E. Beeh.  Kunst und Kirch, n. 3 (1985) pp. 93-95.

- 'Ludwig Schaffrath - zum 60. Gegurtstag / for his 60th Birthday',  Jochem Poensgen.  Neus Glas, n. 2 (1984) pp. 64-71.

- 'Provocative Church',  Gerald Melling. Architecture, American Institute of Architects Journal, Sept. (1984) pp. 126-127.

- 'Church of Christ Scientist',  Rob Ansell. New Zealand Architect, n. 5 (1983) pp. 15-21. Front cover ill.

- 'A Space That Talks', Dinah Priestly. New Zealand Crafts, n. 8 (1983) pp. 23-25.

- 'Case Study: James Walker' from In The Light of the Past - Stained Glass Windows in NZ Houses.

Jock Philips & Chris McLean. Auckland, Oxford University Press (1983) pp. 131-139. Back cover ill.

ABRIDGED*

 

 

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