Ancient One

Female Torso

Asian Couple Mold

Asian Couple

Kiln 1

Kiln 2

Biography:

In the early 70’s Jim Callantine attended business school to be a computer programmer. While he enjoyed programming and its creativity in manipulating data, it did not offer him the physical contact needed to create something special; that special aspect one can see, touch, and smell.

Starting in the mid 70’s Jim started a business in the arts of jewelry and metal smithing. This involved work in copper embossing, lost wax casting, and carving. This was short lived and he took up with a wood collector. Jim and his partner traveled the coast and searched the forest for burls and root sections, cut into 2” slabs using an Alaskan mill. They sold these slabs to other collectors and wood workers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California. This evolved into a business of making root sections into tables, clocks, mirrors and various other wood products. Jim honed his skills in identification of different woods, colors and the design it would reveal when cut. He learned the use of oils, resins, glues, steaming and bending techniques. Along with the woodworking, he started a metal sculptor business to accent his wood products and accumulated a variety of tools and skills in the metal trades.

He started a woodstove installation company in the 80’s which led to maintenance and warranty work for wood stove manufacture’s. The business evolved into a full service company in which he provided service in chimney and fireplace repair and chimney lining with stainless steel materials. He was a distributor of Chim Tec products from Europe, which was used to line chimney’s for high temperatures and zero clearance to combustibles. He was a subcontractor for many homebuilders, wood stove companies, architects, and development corporations. With masonry experience, he learned to install glass block as decorations, windows, and office walls. He knows an extensive network of architects, builders, and artisans.

This led to a business in remodeling and light commercial. The years in the construction trades took its toll on his shoulders. He returned to school and received an Associate's of Science degree in Civil Engineering. His work has been in the field of mapping and GIS data gathering. As in programming in the early 70’s the physical creativity was lacking.

Jim began to take classes in photography and learned the art of photo transfer, and photo emulsion. Removing the inks and thin film layer from Polaroid film and adding them to paper, glass, and leather, almost anything. This lead to a glass fusing class (and watercolors). This time glass is his medium. He has taken numerous classes, workshops, and attended seminars. At this time, he is offering classes in glass fusing techniques, welding, and sand carving, mold making, and glass casting. With glass, methods of display are necessary and metal sculpture is back in the mix along with copper, brass and steel. With building standards coming into play in home and office construction, the need for larger scale projects in glass is becoming more available to the glass artist. This is now the direction he is taking his trade and talents.

Jim has added a new dimension in his work with the joining of the Pacific Northwest Sculptors guild and is experimenting with the inclusion of brass, bronze, and copper metals and powders within fused glass. Casting glass is playing a larger part of his glass work and regular meetings with like minded people are taking place at his studio. Classes in casting glass and bronze at the studio are becoming more frequent. Casting with Borosilicate plate glass is always on the edge of experimentation.

Contact Information:

If you would like to contact Jim, please use the form below to send him a message.