AACG News
In Memoriam - Artist James Walker
Glass artist James Walker has passed away at his home in New Zealand. He had been suffering from mesothelioma which was the result of asbestos exposure from his early days of working with glass in Auckland. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1948, Walker earned a bachelor of science in 1971 from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, then received a master of philosophy of fine arts and design in 1989 from the University of Auckland. Over the past quarter century, Walker designed and produced conemporary architectural stained glass. Throughout the 1980s, Walker completed numerous window commissions in public and private buildings. Various awards and grants underscored his success. Walker's career in glass eventually led him to Pilchuck School where he was offered a teaching assistantship. While there, he met Stanislav Libensky who encouraged and admired Walker's work. Walker and Libensky developed a lasting friendship, resulting in Libensky's invitation to Walker to study with him and Jaroslava Brychtova in Pilchuck's Masters Class the following year. Walker went on to live in the Czech Republic for much of the 1990s to continue the development of his sculptures in cast glass. Around 2006, Walker left the Czech Republic to return to New Zealand and continue his work with glass. For more information about Walker, visit his website: www.walkerjames.com.
| Posted 11 Apr 06
