Statement
There is a compelling force that cannot be ignored when bringing ideas of the mind to a tangible reality. My artistic passion is seated deeply in creating environments that affect the audience in a distinct manner; a conversation of concept and reaction. My work involves multiple processes, interchangeable components and a variety of materials with a focus on blown glass. As my creative process has evolved, I have blurred the lines between lampworking and traditional glassblowing in aspects of technique, scale and texture.
The matted and many times vibrant colors of my work pop softly with calm enthusiasm. After years of experimentation with surface treatments and coatings, my color palette has expanded while allowing me versatility to adapt with the large, installation-based work that I am drawn to. My work spawns curiosity in the viewer as the materials are not always as they appear and the shapes invoke familiarity with themes of aquatic life, flowers, viruses, and atoms.
I find excitement in the unknown as each piece is sculpted and ideas are translated through the use of heat and movement. The modular nature of my work and the use of interchangeable components allows for creative spontaneity and flexibility during assembly, leaving space for the unexpected and dissolving the barrier between existence and action
Bio
Jonathan Davis is an artist from Durham, North Carolina who has been practicing his love for art, music, and agriculture since childhood. Jonathan studied jazz at North Carolina Central University in 2001 while apprenticing as a glass craftsman at the Carolina Glass Arts Studio in downtown Durham. During his apprenticeship he began designing and making his own production art as he was promoting and teaching lampworking classes through the Durham Arts Council. Shortly thereafter, Davis made the move to a remote cabin in Pittsboro, NC and attended school for sustainable agriculture in which he holds a degree. He has also worked extensively with the Forest Foundation, an organization dedicated to sustainable livelihoods, environmental education and fair trade craft development.
Davis has studied with many talented people including master glassblower Emilio Santini. He has taught hundreds of students, worked with numerous universities and organizations, and has worked with talented groups like the Cirque du Soleil performance troupe.
He now works out of the studio he designed and built in Chatham County, constructing botanically inspired creations and mid-century modern designs. Davis specializes in architectural lighting and sculpture. When he’s not in the studio or teaching, he seeks adventure and inspiration through his love of rock climbing, scuba diving, whitewater kayaking and traveling the world.
Photograph by Christer Berg
ARTIST CV
Personal details
Jonathan Davis, (b. 1981, US)
jonathan@jonathanmichaeldavis.com
|www.jonathanmichaeldavis.com|
919.200.1957
Education
2001-2003 Carolina Glass Arts Studio Apprenticeship
2006 NC State Lapidary class
2008 Private Study under Emilio Santini
2010 Furnace Glassblowing, Sally Resnik Thermal lab
Selected Works and Exhibitions
2013 Windows on Chapel Hill, Town of Chapel Hill public art exhibit, NC
2013 Crank Arm Brewery, Raleigh, NC lighting pendants with Nate Sheaffer
2008-2014 Chatham Studio Tour, Chatham Artists Guild, Pittsboro, NC
2014 Sculpture in the Garden, Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens, NC
2014 Tupelo Honey Café, Raleigh, NC, Collaboration with Matt Mcconnell Studios
2014 Fabricator for Laura Belem’s 1,000 bells project, Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, NC
2015 The Ritz Music hall , Raleigh, NC lighting collaboration with Nate Sheaffer and Louis st. Lewis
2015 IX Art Park, Charlottesville, VA lighting installation
2015 Sculpture in the Garden, Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens, NC
2015 Tupelo Honey Café, Nashville, TN Collaboration with Matt Mcconnell Studios
2015 City Tap Bar Outdoor lighting, Pittsboro, NC
2016 Shimmer The Art of Light, Illumination installation, Carrboro, NC
2016 Sculpture in the Garden, Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens, NC
2016-2017 Sculpture Visions, Public Art Installation, Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill, NC
2016 Artfields, Lake City, South Carolina
2016 Cucalorus Film Festival “Glass Fire Poi” Wilmington, NC
2017-2018 Sculpture Visions, Public Art Installation, Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill, NC
2017 Sculpture in the Garden, Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens, NC
2017 Shimmer The Art of Light, Illumination installation, Carrboro, NC
2017 The Glass Wheel, Glass Art Society Show, Norfolk, VA
2018 Sculpture in the Garden, Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens, NC
2018 Vetro Illuminato, Illuminated Glass Show, Berengo Studios, Murano, Italy
2018 Toledo Museum of Art, Limited Edition, Commemorative Glass Ornament, Toledo, Ohio
2019 Morean Art Center, Glass Art Society, St.Petersburg, Fl
Bibliography
Chatham Living Magazine, cover, p.22-26, 2008 edition
Forrest Greenslade, Chatham County Line, cover, Vol. 8, issue 10
Gerry Broome, “NC artists burns glass into sculptures” Associated Press, September 23, 2014
Texts
Jonathan Davis, “Borosilicate Sunflower Pendant Tutorial” The Annealer Magazine, Vol. 3, Winter 2008, p. 27-30
The Flow Magazine
Teaching
2002-2003 Durham Arts Council, lampworking, Session Instructor
2003, Cirque du Soleil, lampworking workshop, Instructor
2010 Jesse Sanderson High School, Visual Art Honors Class, lampworking, Guest Instructor
2007-2019 North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics mini-term, Session Instructor
2008- 2011 Central Carolina Community College, Introduction to lampworking Continuing Education, Session Instructor
2011 North Carolina State University, School of Business Management, team building workshop, Instructor
2011 UNC Charlotte Art Club, lampworking workshop, Instructor
2011 High Point University Art Club Introduction to lampworking, Instructor
2012-2019 North Carolina State University Craft Center Introduction to borosilicate, Session Instructor
2013 High Point University Introduction to lampworking workshop, Instructor
2014 Siemens team building event, Introduction to lampworking workshop, Instructor
2014 University North Carolina Charlotte Art Club, Introduction to lampworking workshop
2014 North Carolina State, School of Architecture, Alternative materials workshop, Guest Instructor
2014 North Carolina State University, School of Business Management, Team building workshop, Instructor
2018 Burts Bees team building event
2019 Carrboro Arts Center, Borosilicate Flameworking, Instructor
Awards
2010 Chatham Artists Guild, Studio Tour Showcase “Honorable Mention” Judge Dan Gottlieb, The North Carolina Museum of Art Director of Planning and Design
2012 Chatham Studio Tour, Studio Tour Showcase “Best in Show” Award
2014 Botanical Gardens, Sculpture in the Garden show, “Merit Award” Judge Carolyn Putney, Chief Curator of The Toledo Museum of Art
2015 Botanical Gardens, Sculpture in the Garden show, “Merit Award” Judge Jennifer Edwards, Bechtel Museum of Modern Art
2018 Botanical Gardens, Sculpture in the Garden show, “Best in Show” Award Judge Carrie Alter
Residencies
2016 G.A.P.P. Artist Residency The Toledo Museum of Art